Sepp Kuss dreams of winning Tour de France to inspire America: "It is important that there is another clean American Tour winner"

Sepp Kuss won the Vuelta a Espana last year and now he also makes clear that he hopes to compete for the victory at Tour de France one day. Could that opportunity present itself to the American rider this year as the long lost of injuries at Visma | Lease a Bike? We will find out next month, yet with his current form, there's not quite much to be hopeful about.

The American has a special mission, he says in conversation with Helden Magazine. He wants to get America interested in cycling again. "I thought it was great that I received great reactions from all over America after I won the Vuelta. Outside of the Tour de France, it is difficult to follow the major cycling races in America. The Tour is big, if you can win it as an American, you can visit the White House or play a game of golf with the president, as Armstrong once was."

For many Americans, cycling is still synonymous with the time of Lance Armstrong. "In America I am still regularly reminded of the Armstrong era, of the doping years. It is difficult to convince people that the sport of today is different from then. The doping confession of Armstrong and other former top athletes has had a huge impact on the popularity of the sport in America. People lost their faith in a clean sport."

So it is Kuss's mission to change that image. "I keep trying to make it clear that today's sport is very different, but it takes time before that message is believed. That is why it is important that there is another American Tour winner who shows that you can also bring home the yellow jersey while you're clean."

"My mission is for people in America to take cycling to their hearts again. I think that is more important than being welcomed at the White House or playing golf with the president."