21/07/2023

"We knew what we needed to do to crack Pogacar, but it wasn’t easy" - Sepp Kuss set to be part of second Grand Tour winning team of the year

The best super-domestique in the whole of the peloton, Sepp Kuss has now helped Primoz Roglic win the Giro d'Italia and Jonas Vingegaard seemingly win the Tour de France. On the battle with Tadej Pogacar, Kuss was full of praise for the Slovenian.

“When you crack that bad on such a hard climb it’s impossible to do much damage control. When the lights go out, the lights go out,” the American said on the decisive stage 17 implosion of Pogacar that, barring accident or something incredible, will see Jumbo-Visma claim their second Grand Tour of 2023. “We didn’t try to keep it close in the beginning, but the first two weeks Pogačar was just so strong. We knew what we needed to do to crack him, but it wasn’t easy and now the difference is pretty big."

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Now more than seven minutes into the Maillot Jaune, Vingegaard is all but officially a two-time Tour de France champion. "We were confident in the time trial, but Jonas did amazing," continued Kuss, reflecting on one of the greatest Tour de France rides in modern memory from the Jumbo-Visma leader that saw Vingegaard put over a minute and a half on Pogacar.

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“When he started with the team, for sure he had the talent but he needed to put everything together confidence-wise and grow into that leadership role, which is not easy to do," Kuss says of his team leader. "I think it helps a lot just having the confidence in himself and not worrying about what’s going on around him.”

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One man who won't be around for the Jumbo-Visma celebration on the Champs Elysees is Wout van Aert who left the race before stage 18 and has since welcomed a new member to his family.

"I think for him it’s going to be a really beautiful moment in his life and we can only be happy with how he contributed to the team,” Kuss said of the Belgian. “Every day he’s such a leader in the team and also what he’s able to do on the bike is invaluable. It shows that there are bigger things than cycling, especially when a rider like him leaves the race. That’s really nice to see and I’m excited for him.”