Sepp Kuss races Giro-Tour with Jonas Vingegaard and looks to overturn Pogacar success - "We have to go into every race believing we can beat him"

Sepp Kuss has for many years been part of Team Visma | Lease a Bike's plans for the Grand Tours, and with the retirement of Simon Yates, his importance grows back to the very top once again in 2026. The American rider is set to be Jonas Vingegaard's right-hand man at both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France - and doesn't exclude racing the Vuelta a España too this year, just as he did back in 2023.

“First, I'll go to the Giro with Jonas and enjoy being there. As a personal goal, I'd like to win a stage in the Giro, as it's the only victory missing from my palmarès," Kuss said in conversation with Marca. "Let's see if it can happen this year". It is a tough ask since Jonas Vingegaard will be going for the pink jersey, but in the past Kuss has been able to win stages at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España whilst being in the same role at Visma.

“I think Jonas is a rider for the Giro. There are many stages for endurance cyclists: length, elevation gain... It's a course that suits him very well, although this year it's a bit less demanding. Mentally, riding the Giro will be very good for him, allowing him to arrive at the Tour without the pressure he's had in recent years".

What matters is the form he carries into the Grand Tours. In 2023 he played his role to perfection: Helping Primoz Roglic win the Giro d'Italia; helping Jonas Vingegaard win the Tour de France; and then he himself winning the Vuelta a España ahead of his two teammates after he had a successful breakaway on the first week and strong consistency throughout the entire race.

But in 2024 he struggled and never showed his best level once again. It took quite a long time before the American got back to the top, something which happened at this year's Tour, with him leading Vingegaard up some of the climbs in the Pyrenees but mainly Mont Ventoux and in the Alps, in an attempt to dethrone Tadej Pogacar.

Kuss then rode the Vuelta a España and was back to the level that was fully expected of him, once again riding in a supporting role, but but finishing seventh in the overall classification, whilst having his form improve throughout the entire race - leading to a second place up the final summit finish to Bola del Mundo.

Kuss will race the Giro, and then he will be part of the ultra-strong Tour de France lineup, together with the likes of Matteo Jorgenson, Wout van Aert and Victor Campenaerts in an attempt to beat Tadej Pogacar once again. Visma and Kuss know that in normal circumstances that is very hard to happen, so they will continue to explore the tactical realm in search of weaknesses in the Slovenian's arsenal.

“It gets more complicated every year, but it's about being very creative with tactics and looking for weaknesses. Every rider has a point or moment of weakness, and it's about finding those situations," he explains.

"On a summit finish, if he arrives at the bottom in good form, sometimes it seems impossible to beat him. We have to go into every race believing we can beat him." Visma was the only team since 2021 that provided any challenge for Pogacar and UAE, and Vingegaard is ultimately the only rider who has prevented Pogacar from going through an historical Tour de France victory streak.

In the meantime, Kuss begins his season at the Tour of Oman (whereas Vingegaard races the UAE Tour), and then the two meet at the Volta a Catalunya. Like his leader, it is a calendar without any overcomplications, which will then lead to both Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. No decisions have been made regarding the Vuelta a Espana, but he leaves the door open - having raced there every years since 2018.