“That could be useful again this year with Jonas Vingegaard” - Sepp Kuss draws on Primoz Roglic's Giro victory lesson as Visma fight for another Maglia Rosa

Sepp Kuss believes the lessons learned during Primoz Roglic’s victorious 2023 Giro d’Italia campaign could now prove valuable once again as Team Visma | Lease a Bike attempt to guide Jonas Vingegaard to overall victory on his Giro debut.

The American climber returned to the Giro this week after missing last year’s edition, where Simon Yates delivered another Maglia Rosa triumph for Visma, and immediately finds himself back inside a familiar role as one of the Dutch team’s key mountain lieutenants.

Kuss was one of the central figures behind Roglic’s dramatic Giro victory three years ago, helping control the race deep into the mountains before the Slovenian ultimately sealed the pink jersey with his decisive Monte Lussari time trial performance in the final week.

That experience, Kuss believes, may now help Visma as they attempt to guide Vingegaard toward the only Grand Tour title currently missing from the Dane’s palmares. “Last year, I missed being at the Giro and watching my team-mate Yates win,” Kuss explained in conversation with TNT Sports ahead of Stage 2. “But the last time I raced here, we won with Roglic, and I learned a lot from that experience that could be useful again this year with Jonas.”

Since helping Roglic win the Giro in 2023, Kuss has remained one of the most important riders inside Visma’s Grand Tour structure. Later that same season, the American claimed the Vuelta a España himself after initially entering the race in support of both Roglic and Vingegaard, before eventually emerging as the strongest and most consistent rider across the three weeks.

Now back at the Giro, Kuss again appears set to play a decisive support role in the mountains around Vingegaard, particularly during the brutal final week which is expected to define the general classification battle.

Visma arrived at the Giro with a heavily climbing-focused team around the Dane, with Kuss widely viewed as one of the riders most likely to remain alongside Vingegaard deepest into the high mountains.

Although the opening stage into Burgas was ultimately decided in a reduced sprint won by Paul Magnier, the race immediately delivered tension and crashes inside the final kilometre, reinforcing the importance of avoiding unnecessary mistakes during the Giro’s opening week.

Kuss acknowledged before Stage 2 that Visma would need to remain fully attentive despite the race still being in its early phases. “Today we need to stay focused,” Kuss warned. “A lot of riders can win this stage, and we can’t afford to get caught out.”

While the Giro’s biggest mountain tests still lie further ahead, Kuss’ return already offers Visma something few other teams in this year’s race can match - a rider with direct experience helping deliver a Giro d’Italia victory under the intense pressure of a three-week Grand Tour battle.