"Sometimes the bullet bites back" - Sepp Kuss broke his front tooth on Tourmalet stage as Tour de France dentist visit looms
Cycling
Sepp Kuss is riding the Tour de France with an unusual injury, one that would go unnoticed not for teammates Victor Campenaerts pointing it out and poking fun at the American rider.
Riding stage 6 of the Tour de France, Sepp Kuss rode well in service of Visma | Lease a Bike leader Jonas Vingegaard on the Col du Tourmalet, surviving as his last man before Tadej Pogacar's blazing attack on its iconic slopes.
Although Pogacar rode away to a commanding victory, the Dane proved the strongest of the rest of the field, taking a definitve second place as he held off the group of podium favourites behind on the final climb on Thursday.
Finishing amongst the podium chasers, Kuss didn't sport any crash wounds or signals of any skirmish with the parcours or obstacles, his injury would be revealed on Visma and Campenaerts' viral video blog series the following day.
The front tooth, not totally broken but considerably chipped, was pointed out in the video as Kuss joked that he would be invited to less media interviews in a light-hearted quip.
Visma confirm bottle caused Kuss to damage crown
Later, it was reported that Visma confirmed the tooth was not chipped due to a crash, but rather from a bottle. Kuss had apparently damaged a crown fitted from a previous crash when taking a much-needed sip of water during stage 6.
With the first rest day of the race approaching on Monday, the 2023 Vuelta a Espana winner could find himself on the dentist chair or perhaps wait out the rest of the race before booking an appointment.
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But first, a tricky Sunday stage for Visma as they continue to protect leader Vingegaard ahead of week two. Although the stage has been shortened due to extreme heat warnings in the region, the parcours still packs a mean punch.
Although fancied to form a breakaway battle as the peloton scorches in extreme heat, general classification teams are sure to be on their toes, particularly given the relatively small gaps between many of the podium competitors such as Paul Seixas, Remco Evenepoel and Juan Ayuso.
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
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- as we all like the david-style rebels, he will leave a gap.Ketterechts12-11-2026
- Oy, don't insult girlsHills3312-11-2026
- lol yeah. this is a good onemij12-11-2026
- Mads is the best: I didn’t even know there were rules in cyclocross. I just thought it was a matter of: ‘Go, three, two, one, ride.’ It’s like a street fight, a kind of underground brawl. It’s the MMA of cycling he gives the best quotes.mij12-11-2026
- he's too young. he's 23, so not really a fair call yet.mij12-11-2026
- and don't forget Pidcock's departure. maybe he will never win a GT, but he knows how to light up a race.mij12-11-2026
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026
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