"You can win the biggest race in the world but people move on" - Sepp Kuss

Sepp Kuss has throughout his career dedicated himself to the success of teammate and Jumbo-Visma, however in a recent interview he continues to believe it is the best role for him, and on how he's tackled some hard decisions and situations over the past years.

In an interview with Cyclingnews, he was asked about his pursuit of a leading position inside Jumbo-Visma. "It's a normal question. From the outside, you see I'm with the best guys on a lot of days, you extrapolate that, and you think 'why can't he be in more of a leadership position?' But it's not that simple."

"We have kind of decided that how I am is just perfect for what I need to do, and what I enjoy," he answered. Kuss, a pure climber, has broke through in 2018 when he won the Tour of Utah alongside several stages. He showed off his climbing skills, which earned him a spot as a valuable teammate for the Grand Tours.

He's since won stages at the Tour de France, Vuelta a Espana and Critérium du Dauphiné, but has never led a Grand Tour. Partly as the team grew in leadership with Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard - with whom he's worked with, successfully, secondly because to be a stage-racer and achieve the necessary consistency, sacrifices have to be made.

Kuss recalled a conversation with team DS Merijn Zeeman: "He called me and said 'you know what, you don't need to be a GC rider, you don't need to be someone who's doing everything that Primož and Jonas are doing, because it's not you. You're one of the best climbers, just focus on that. Just keep things simple, rather than trying to find every bit of improvement and creating more noise."

Hence the American tried it and settled in that role. He's won in some of the biggest races in the world despite often having a supportive position in the Dutch team, but his work has not gone unnoticed as for several years he's been at the head of the mountain stages at the very hardest mountain races in pro cycling.

"It was something I always felt, in a way. It's just the nature of being a cyclist, you always want the next best thing. You think 'I'm progressing, OK now I want to be a GC rider for the Grand Tours, OK you need to have your TT'. That's what you're expected to do in a way, but it's not really... it's not for everyone," he described.

"And there comes a point where you'll just be beating your head against a wall, only making yourself worse because you're not progressing the way you expected. For a lot of people it works, but it's not the same for everyone," the 28-year old explains.

This year he supported Jonas Vingegaard to victory at the Tour de France, often being the last man standing in the climbs for the Dane. His focus on climbing alone allows him to keep up with the same level, whilst his GC ambitions have calmed down from previous years - as did the expectations from fans and media.

"You have to know your limits, and focus a bit more on what you're good at and enjoy. If you add so much to your plate, then so many different sets of expectations, it just overcomplicates things, and I don't need so much complication," Kuss added. "I just need to enjoy riding my bike, be able to go off for seven or eight hours in the mountains, alone, enjoying the adventure. "

"I appreciate the data-driven side of cycling but in the end I train more for the spirit of it, the feelings I get," he admits. If I do two or three hours extra and it feels good and it allows me to see more of the world and have fun, then in the end it's better for me. And then I know I'll be good in the race."

Talking about the 2020 Tour de France where he played a key role for Primoz Roglic in pursuit of the yellow jersey, he responded: "To me, it felt like another race, almost. I tried to remind myself to enjoy it and everything, but that's the strange thing about cycling. You can win the biggest race in the world but people move on."

"I'd prefer to have one really bad day and one day that's incredible, rather than being steady every day but not being able to go above that," he concluded