“Whenever I think back to that, I’ll always think of Jonas” – Sepp Kuss reveals Jonas Vingegaard bought Visma teammates “memory for life” after La Vuelta 2025 victory

After Jonas Vingegaard’s victory at the 2025 Vuelta a Espana, Sepp Kuss was left with a moment that has stayed with him ever since, one tied not just to the race itself, but to what came after it.

Kuss had spent that race in a role he knows better than most. While Vingegaard moved into control of the general classification, the American was again one of the riders shaping the decisive mountain stages, setting tempo and helping to close down moves as the race tilted in the Dane’s favour. It was a return to the structure that has defined so much of Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s Grand Tour success over the past five seasons.

What followed that victory is what has stayed with him.

Speaking in conversation with Wieler Revue, Kuss explained how a post-season gesture from Vingegaard turned into something more lasting. “Last year, after the Vuelta a España, we were given a holiday. Everyone could decide how to use it. I went to Greece with my family. It’s a memory for life and whenever I think back to that, I’ll always think of Jonas.”

Kuss’ place in that Vuelta was not a new one. Despite his own overall win in 2023, he has fully returned to a support role within the team’s Grand Tour setup, forming part of the climbing group that allows Vingegaard to race on his terms in the high mountains.

That clarity around roles has been a constant. Since 2019, Visma have built their success on a defined hierarchy, with Kuss repeatedly at the centre of it as the rider tasked with supporting their leader deep into the decisive stages.

“I still love sacrificing myself for a leader like Jonas. It’s not even a question for me when I see how strong he is. I wouldn’t even call it a sacrifice. I feel incredibly lucky that I get to support such a great rider in his pursuit of success. My Vuelta win in 2023 hasn’t changed that.”

Nothing about that structure changes heading into the 2026 Giro d’Italia. Vingegaard leads the team into the race, with Kuss once again expected to take on the same responsibilities in the mountains.

The approach is familiar because it has worked repeatedly. Kuss has been part of eight of the team’s nine Grand Tour victories in that period, either as a key domestique or, in 2023, as the rider who stood on the top step himself.

His perspective on Vingegaard also reflects the stability within that setup. “It sometimes surprises me how well he handles pressure. The very best riders feel pressure in their own way, but at the same time they have so much confidence in themselves. That’s a huge mental advantage. It means they’re able to deal with setbacks more easily.”

The roles remain clear. The results have followed.