Sepp Kuss argued recently that he is capable of winning the Tour de France. Of course, he will not enter the Grand Boucle as a main favourite, but the possibility exists. The American rider explains his recent declarations amidst a lot of commentary on his statements.
“Last year I realised that I could be up there with the best guys while really not thinking at all about the GC," Kuss told CyclingPro.net. "Now if you look at teams like UAE or other teams, they have a lot of leaders, and you always need a second guy that can go with those multiple cards from a strategic standpoint, especially in the first and second week."
Taking into consideration UAE Team Emirates' strategy for this summer, which includes four riders capable of racing for the final podium, it is very much in the cards that Team Visma | Lease a Bike do not deposit all their hopes on Jonas Vingegaard. With the departure of Primoz Roglic and Kuss' recent Vuelta a España win, it is only logical to imagine that the Durango native can be played as a second card for the GC.
“In the third week it’s just about the legs. It never hurts but… I’m not delusional. I see the headlines saying ‘Sepp wants to win the Tour’ but everyone wants to win the Tour. Even a sprinter wants to win the Tour but I’m not delusional but I’m not under-ambitious either," he tells. Certainly after winning a Grand Tour - in what was his third of the year - Kuss has strong arguments as to why the Dutch team should protect him in France.
“Everyone has to look for a headline but people who just read a headline, they think that I’m being…that I don’t have my head on my shoulders. But then if I say that I just want to help then people say I don’t have ambition... but if I say I want to try for myself then people say I only won the Vuelta because of a race situation. That’s true, but I also have to shoot for something myself," he continues.
"It’s just a matter of if you’re good or not, then it’s less complicated than it’s made out to be. But I’ve no illusions of things that I’m not capable of.” Last summer Kuss was in the Top10 until the final mountain stage despite his full domestique role. This was derailed by a tough crash on stage 20 in the Vosges, he carried his wounds to Spain where he then thrived.
Kuss began his season last weekend in Spain and is currently racing the Volta ao Algarve. The time-trial and competition such as Remco Evenepoel makes an overall win almost impossible, but the American is gearing up towards the sping with sharp days of racing. “I’m definitely happy. The races I’ve done so far, including this one, aren’t necessarily the ones for me but it’s always good when I can feel good in different styles of races. It’s also pretty fun and there are less expectations," he explains.
"I’m just seeing how it goes. For this week, I’m mainly going to help out Jan [Tratnik]. He’s in good shape and he deserves all the help, and then I’ll just get a feel for the racing. It’ll be good for me to do a time trial, and see how it goes there."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- exactly, he had an amazing season, but with these overstatements they don‘t do him good.Ketterechts08-11-2026
- More to the point, it isn't his remaining goal.Renz08-11-2026
- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
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