Wout van Aert thanks Sepp Kuss after stage 7 win at La Vuelta: "A textbook example of our team philosophy... sacrificing yourself for others"

So often over the years, Sepp Kuss has unselfishly buried himself in service of his teammates and on stage 7 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana this was the case again although in a somewhat different capacity than normal.

Ordinarily using his talents to help teammates succeed in the high mountains, Kuss completely gave his all in order to ensure a reduced bunch sprint finale on the flat finale of stage 7, one in which his Team Visma | Lease a Bike teammate Wout van Aert triumphed. Afterwards, the Belgian was full of praise for Kuss' selfless work in the finale.

“I didn’t expect this race development. I thought we would finish with a bigger group. But it went so fast on the final climb, the race completely exploded there," reflects Van Aert, who is beginning to assemble a comfortable lead in the Green Jersey classification, in his post-stage interview. 

“It was difficult to manage, but Kuss did a great job. I don't think many people realize what it is like to cycle so hard on the flat as a sixty-kilogram person. I had goosebumps in his wheel. That's why I wanted to finish it off. This is a big win,” Van Aert says of his teammate. “This is a textbook example of our team philosophy. It’s not just about winning, it’s about sacrificing yourself for others. The defending champion who rides himself completely empty...”

Van Aert had even attempted an attack of his own in the finale, but was not given any leeway by his rivals. “I thought: maybe they’ll let me go. But UAE immediately followed me," he recalls of the situation. "I didn’t want to take the risk of being at the front, but still being caught by the rest of the group. And after that I could count on Kuss.”