"In the mountain stages I’ll see what I can do" - Sepp Kuss wants to get in on Visma's Vuelta stage raid in final days of the race
CyclingThursday, 10 September 2026 at 13:19
Sepp Kuss wants a piece of Visma's Vuelta pie as the team feast on stage wins, taking a stunning seven of the 17 stages offered up to the peloton so far. With four more stages on the menu, the American thinks the team aren't quite full yet and could order up a few more to the table.
Matthew Brennan has won five stages and Wout van Aert has taken two, with Wednesday's sprint finish in Seville cleaned up by Brennan after van Aert worked hard to keep the race together in the final kilometer and allow the young British rider to finish it off.
The race has seen the experienced Paris Roubaix winner often work in service of Brennan and the youngster return the favour, with both using their unique threats to give the Dutch team optimal chances of stage success - particularly in days that included multiple short or less steep climbs before a relatively flat finish.
Sepp Kuss on the other hand has kept tabs on the general classification battle. Although suffering a crash back in the first week, he has maintained a steady position and sits in 10th. Although not yet showing his own hand for glory, Kuss opened up on the team's winning atmosphere and Brennan on Wednesday.
Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana
Sepp Kuss hails Matthew Brennan after another win
“It’s really cool,” Kuss told Eurosport in Seville. “To have most of them coming from a guy that is in his first Grand Tour.”
“He’s really calm. He never gets tired. He goes uphill well, he sprints well. He’s just a big talent. And he likes to race his bike. You can see that in the way he rides.”
Cycling is a team sport, and Kuss was quick to point out the work of domestiques such as Bruno Armirail, Steven Kruijswijk and Jorgen Nordhagen among those who helped pace to give Brennan and van Aert their chances to assert themselves.
Kuss could still target stage victory
“We all really believe in each other and everybody’s happy to do the work or do their part. Especially the guys that have been pulling all day for all these stage wins. Hats off to them because it’s been super hard.”
Visma aren't done yet as Kuss looked ahead. With Armirail and van Aert to play in the time trial, he himself thinks that the time is right to attack in the stage 19 and 20 mountain tests.
We've seen Kuss get involved in similar moves in this year's Tour de France, coming close to victory back on stage 20 of the Tour while also winning stage 19 of the Giro d'Italia in May. He has won stages in all three Grand Tours, with a win this week to make it a fifth in his career.
“Tomorrow in the TT we have Bruno, we have Wout. And then in the mountain stages I’ll see what I can do. For now it’s just nice to be a part of already so many stage wins.”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- Boring comment chump.whit2pet10-09-2026
- Soft
Front24210-09-2026 - I feel he will be like Chris Froome after his accident never getting back to his best. I hope EF can get the best from him and Carapaz if he does not go to Ineos takes him under his wing.paultryan200210-09-2026
- No no... don't spin your words around with me. Your last sentence tells me everything: @whit2pet: "All in all I think that most World Tour cyclists ARE PAID FAIRLY." Are these your words? Yes they are. NO, THEY ARE NOT PAID FAIRLY. Shame on you and stop your BS. Capish?PogiSloFans10-09-2026
- I made that exact comment in my response, but as you are clearly unintelligent you failed to pick it up. Rather than justify your position you chose to make borish comment. Slide back under your rock chump.whit2pet10-09-2026
- "All in all I think that most World Tour cyclists are paid fairly." ??? Reading a foolish and stupid statement like that makes me think: Stop watching cycling and start watching dart throwing or American wrestling. You don't even deserve an answer because of your foolishness and probably won't understand it. But I'll give it a try: Everything centers around the fact that the owners of the Grand Tours and Monuments like ASO - Amaury Sport Organisation, and others, are not interested in sharing their big television and sponsorship profits. BIG PROFITS!!! Why? Because they are f**** greedy, wanting more money constantly. They prioritize personal financial gain over ethics, fairness, or the well-being of cyclists... the same cyclists that make money for them.... Do you understand this? If not, go find yourself a corner!!!PogiSloFans10-09-2026
- With cycling being a "free to watch sport", how do you propose to raise the income to pay the cyclists more? The owners of the grand tours and monuments are not interested in sharing profits and with the sport refusing to make alterations to the Euro Centric calendar, the opportunity to increase income for the teams is extremely limited. All in all I think that most World Tour cyclists are paid fairly.whit2pet10-09-2026
- Hey Jumpyjohn... let your words become gold!!!PogiSloFans10-09-2026
- Pogi, being the G.O.A.T. ... should be getting, at least, 20 million euros per year.... Remco 10 million... Jonas 8.5 million ... etc. etc. All cyclists are being payed shit, compared to other sports. Competitive road cycling is undeniably one of the most brutal and physically demanding sports in the world... when evaluating pure endurance, suffering, and environmental risks such as crashes, heat, cold, rain, sleet, road furniture.PogiSloFans10-09-2026
- Yes, I’m tipping on around 1 minute lost in the TT but it’s best to remember anyone can have an off day or an incident and lose minutes if it’s at the wrong moment.Jumpyjohn10-09-2026
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