“In the end, Tom was the strongest” - Sepp Kuss gives Pidcock his flowers as extra family motivation helps fire Visma leader to podium in Andorra

Sepp Kuss lit up the final climb of the Andorra MoraBanc Classica, but the Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader had no issue admitting Tom Pidcock was the strongest rider in the finale.

Kuss finished third behind Pidcock and Carlos Verona after launching the most dangerous attack of the closing kilometres on Coll de la Botella. The American briefly opened a gap on the final climb, only for Pidcock to work his way back into contention before answering Verona’s late move and sprinting to victory.

Kuss had no complaints about the final outcome. “I’m satisfied with this performance,” he said afterwards in a Visma press release. “It was a tough race, so it feels good to take a podium spot. We rode strongly as a team, but in the end Tom was the strongest in the finale.”

The podium also landed on familiar roads for Kuss, who lives and trains in Andorra. The second edition of the race offered him the rare chance to compete on roads that form part of his usual base.

The decisive moment came inside the final kilometres of the 125km race, which packed more than 4,000 metres of climbing into a brutal route finishing at Coll de la Botella.

Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team had done much of the work before the final selection, with Chris Harper especially prominent for Pidcock. The Australian briefly went clear himself before the race came back together, setting up the late battle between the remaining favourites.

Kuss then launched his move and forced the others into response mode. For a moment, the Visma rider looked capable of breaking the race open, but Harper chased, Verona followed, and Pidcock gradually worked his way back across before the final sprint.

Verona made the last acceleration, but Pidcock followed immediately and had the stronger kick to take victory. Kuss crossed the line third, completing the podium after a race in which several other pre-race names had already been distanced on the final climb.

For Kuss, the podium carried a different kind of value because of where it came. He has long used Andorra as a training base, and Sunday’s race gave him the chance to compete in front of familiar support.

“I really enjoyed being able to race here,” he said. “I live and train in Andorra, so it was special to ride this race. My family was along the roadside, and that gave me extra motivation.”

That extra motivation helped make Kuss one of the central figures of the finale, even if Pidcock ultimately had the answer. The Visma leader made the move that forced the final selection into action, Verona made the last attack, and Pidcock had the finish that decided the race.