"We can't really be surprised by Tadej" - Sepp Kuss knows Visma battle almost invincible rival
Cycling
Sepp Kuss has returned to good form after a very complicated 2024 and he has so far been putting in strong performance in the mountains of the Tour de France, but Team Visma | Lease a Bike's tactics have not worked thus far in taking time on Tadej Pogacar. The American knows that the Dutch team is facing the hardest rival in the sport.
"We can't really be surprised by Tadej [Pogacar]. Obviously, we hoped it would be closer, but when you look back at the footage and see how fast he was climbing, opening up a gap, it makes sense on such a difficult climb," Kuss told Cyclism'Actu regarding stage 12, where he paced up the Col du Soulor, destroying the peloton. "We just hope that in the coming days, everyone will have a better feeling, and we'll see what we can do".
On the mountain time-trial the differences weren't as big, but the Dane did still shed over half a minute which has been added to the large gap that had been previously built. "Four minutes? That's clearly a big gap, so if you just look at it on paper, you could say it's over. But that's cycling, anything can happen. We saw Pogacar crash right after the rest day. You can find yourself trapped behind a break, have a bad moment… anything can happen," Kuss warns.
But it's easy to forget that only two mountain stages have been tackled, whilst all of the most difficult days are still ahead and the Tour has been raced at full speed right from day 1 and fatigue could become a huge factor in the final week or even in the coming days.
"There are still the toughest stages left. We just have to focus on what we can control, and seize opportunities when they present themselves. Yesterday, we rode at the pace we wanted to impose. The idea was to isolate Pogacar from the Soulor. If we had all been having a great day, I think we could have done some damage at that point. But we had to adjust the strategy a little, which is not a problem," he explains, referring to Matteo Jorgenson's moment of difficulty on the climb.
Tactic wise however, Kuss believes Visma is racing the Tour as it should. "When we make our moves in the race, these are moments when the effort is fair for everyone. We don't pull the peloton for 200 kilometers. Of course, you have to give it your all, but you use the right riders at the right time. Very often, it hurts more to be in 6th position than to be in 1st or 2nd when we launch the attack. So I think we manage it rather intelligently".
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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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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