Sepp Kuss, left, celebrates with Jonas Vingegaard after the Dane had won stage 2 at La Vuelta on his way to overall victory last year (Photo: Naike Ereñozaga)
Sepp Kuss has said while the sudden and immediate retirement of his former Visma-Lease a Bike team mate, Simon Yates, came out of the blue, it was also typical of the British rider’s personality. The American said Yates own unique approach to life.
He also didn’t think there was any other, yet-to-emerge, reason for Yates deciding to call it quits, and announcing it in January while he was the reigning Giro d’Italia champion.
“It’s taken us by surprise. It’s a shame for us to lose him from our Tour plans, but we have to move on without him,” Kuss told AS of losing Yates as the team was set to try and help Jonas Vingegaard win the Tour de France again this year.
“If you know him, it’s not that unusual,” he laughed of Yates deciding to quit racing in the manner he did. “Simon is a really nice guy, but he has his own way of doing things, and the thought of quitting has probably crossed his mind, that’s all.”
Though winning the Tour is the main goal this year for Vingegaard, and the team, the Dane has decided to take on the Giro d’Italia this year for the first time. He is expected to win that and then go on to the Tour and try and stop Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) winning his fifth Tour, and his third in a row.
Kuss, who the Vuelta in 2023, will go to the Giro in support of Vingegaard and he believes the decision to shake up his team leader’s pre-Tour schedule has instilled a new energy in him.
“I see him more motivated than in previous years because before he had the same schedule leading up to the Tour. If things didn’t go well there, it felt like you’d lost the whole year,” he said.
“Going to the Giro will take a lot of pressure off him and give him a different perspective heading into the Tour. It’s the most important race for everyone, but I think it’s good that he has different challenges and is stepping out of his comfort zone.”
Kuss also believes the move from UAE to Lidl Trek by Juan Ayuso will stand to him this year as he will be able to step out of the shadow of Pogačar.
“The change of scenery will do him a world of good because at UAE he didn’t have the freedom of a top rider,” he said.
“A cyclist like that doesn’t want to be working for anyone, even if it’s Pogacar. A rider like Ayuso wants to win, and I think he’ll be fine at Trek. This year and in the future, he’ll be a very important rival.”