"It would mean a lot to win this Vuelta a Espana" - Sepp Kuss doesn't hold back with ambitions for the next two weeks
Cycling
The first week of the 2025 Vuelta a Espana is going almost exactly as Visma | Lease a Bike had planned out before the race took off. Without spending excessive energy, waiting for the last 14 days that promise to be even harder than the first seven days of the race. It is true that Torstein Traeen is leading, more than 2 minutes ahead of Jonas Vingegaard. But nobody in the Dutch team is worried about the Norwegian's lead, Vingegaard's key mountain domestique Sepp Kuss points out.
The winner of the Vuelta a Espana from two seasons ago is now back to working as Jonas Vingegaard's super domestique at the Spanish Grand Tour. Logically, the Dane should be much more capable of competing for the red jersey than the American, despite his past victory.
But that doesn't mean that asking Kuss about his feelings about not being able to fight for the overall in a race he has already won was forbidden. In fact, Velo took advantage of Sepp Kuss' statements in the media to get his opinion on the subject.
"For now, I'm more than happy to help (Jonas Vingegaard) and try to bring the red jersey home," Sepp Kuss stated. However it quickly becomes clear that he's not without ambitions of his own. "But when these stages get a little bit more complicated and a little bit harder, we'll see what opportunities arise."
It would be great to win
"It would mean a lot to win this Vuelta a Espana," Kuss said. "Winning the Giro (with Simon Yates, ed.) was already a great success, so to win the Vuelta in the same year would be incredible. We'll see my chances later in the race," he reiterated on the subject smiling.
Visma fully focused on helping Vingegaard win the Vuelta a España
Visma's plan, so far executed to perfection
As already mentioned, Visma | Lease a Bike are in no hurry to toughen up the race. They know that Jonas Vingegaard is the strongest rider, and they are not yet worried about the gap to Torstein Traeen. After all, the Dane has an advantage over both main rivals; Joao Almeida and Giulio Ciccone.
"There's always a lot of pressure, but we're used to it. We have a group with experience in Grand Tours and countless situations like this. It's nothing new for us, but you always have to be prepared for anything. When you know you have the favorite, the dynamic changes," Kuss added.
"We're getting through the first week with just a few hiccups. I think we're right where we want to be in the overall, so things are looking pretty good," the two-time stage winner and one-time overall winner of the Vuelta a España continued his analysis.
"After the Tour de France, the Vuelta a Espana is a good race. There's still pressure, but it's a kind of decompression from the Tour. You can concentrate a bit more on the race and enjoy it a bit more," concluded the Visma rider, who leaves open the possibility of getting into breakaways later in the second or third week.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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