Sepp Kuss leads Visma at Vuelta a Burgos before Vuelta a Espana title defense; Cian Uijtdebroeks also tests his form

Exactly 15 days to go until the start of the Vuelta a España 2024, the last grand tour of the season where Sepp Kuss will defend the title he won last year in what was the biggest victory of his career. To do so, the American rider will prepare for the Vuelta a Burgos, which will be held from August 5 to 9.

Kuss will be the leader of the lineup that Visma - Lease a Bike has announced for the Spanish race. The 29-year-old missed the Tour de France after catching COVID-19 just before the start of the Grande Boucle, where he was to have been one of Jonas Vingegaard's main support staff. Instead he spent the summer refocusing on his next goal, the Vuelta.

Joining Sepp Kuss in the Visma colors at the Vuelta a Burgos will be Cian Uijtdebroeks, who will also likely have freedom in the fight for the general classification, Edoardo Affini, Robert Gesink, Julian Vermote, Ben Tulett and Johannes Staune-Mittet. This will likely be the bulk of the team's lineup for La Vuelta.

Visma's plan will be to go all out and get Kuss in the best possible shape for La Vuelta. Considering that the line-up for the last Grand Tour of the year will be unremarkable, with a good chance of an outsider winning the general classification, the American has a good chance of being able to defend the title.

The race will feature the classic summit finish at the Lagunas de Neila which every year is one of the most accurate tests for the form of the Vuelta contenders.