"We had it under control" - Sepp Kuss back to his best level and pivotal for Jumbo-Visma's defensive tactics

Sepp Kuss has for several years been a key part of Jumbo-Visma's mountain success, and today he's once again shown his value by riding with the very best at the Tour de France and help maintain the yellow jersey in Jonas Vingegaard's hands.

“All of us were in the right position. We took advantage of the number of riders we have left. We had it under control," Kuss told NOS at the end of the day. With Wout van Aert and Nathan van Hooydonck in the breakaway, Jumbo - despite being down to six riders - managed to have riders available for Vingegaard at the beginning of both final descents, providing a safety net, and discouraging attacks from Pogacar at the Mur de Péguère.

Regarding the ascent of the Port de Lers were both went off from the group on more than one occasion, Kuss commented: “They [Pogacar's attacks] were surprising because we were riding at a low speed. We kept calm and Jonas Vingegaard was right on the wheel, and we knew we still had riders up front.”

Then in the final climb is where the American came to his own, riding a very high pace in the steep section of over three kilometers in double-digit gradients, and preventing further moves from the Slovenian. Kuss lead the group alongside only Vingegaard, Pogacar and Quintana to the top, and has served a key protective role as he had at Alpe d'Huez - and in previous years where his climbing prowess had been widely praised.

“We still have two tough days to go. I feel good after the rest day. I feel fresh again and look forward to the next few days," he concluded. The remaining two days are likely to have Kuss ride at a high level, as Jumbo-Visma try to stay in control of the race.