Merijn Zeeman on Sepp Kuss: "He is the only rider who is still uncertain about his place in the Tour"

With the Dauphine acting as a final tune-up prior to the Tour de France for many teams, Jumbo-Visma head into the race with a strong team built around Jonas Vingegaard. Absent though, is one of the stars of the Giro d'Italia, Sepp Kuss who's position remains uncertain.

After successfully helping Primoz Roglic take the Maglia Rosa, Kuss had been expected to be heading straight to France in order to aid Vingegaard's defence of his Maillot Jaune. As things stand however, that is far from certain, as Merijn Zeeman explains to NOS. "He is the only rider who is still uncertain about his place in the Tour," he says. "He must now recover well."

"We will monitor him closely to see if he actually gets to the level that is needed," Zeeman continues in reference to Kuss, the man viewed by many as the best super domestique in the peloton today. "That remains to be seen."

One member of the Jumbo-Visma team who is present at the Critérium du Dauphiné is Steven Kruijswijk. "He is on track to be just as good as he was in the Dauphiné last year," Zeeman analyses. "I have every confidence that he will reach that level again."

Update: The Dutchman however has crashed out of the race on the second day with meaningful injuries, and this may see both Kuss and Kelderman lineup in Bilbao this July.