<\/p>\n
That element, he admits, has now disappeared.<\/p>\n
Why the 2023 Vuelta was a once-off opportunity<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I won the Vuelta, nobody really knew me,\u201d Kuss said. \u201cIf I tried that now, everyone would control me. No team would make that mistake again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The remark is blunt, but accurate. Kuss\u2019s red jersey came during a race in which Visma occupied all three podium positions, with Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> and Primoz Roglic also present. What followed was one of the most unusual internal dynamics seen in a modern Grand Tour, reinforcing the sense that Kuss\u2019s overall win emerged from a very specific set of circumstances.<\/p>\n Kuss himself is clear that repeating that scenario would require a complete rethink of his career structure. Contentment in a different kind of role<\/p>\n Rather than chasing a repeat of 2023, Kuss sounds at ease with where his career has settled since. That role will again place him alongside Jonas Vingegaard<\/a> in 2026, with Kuss expected to be a key part of Visma\u2019s Grand Tour structure as the Dane targets both the Giro d\u2019Italia and the Tour de France<\/a>. The ambition of that programme only underlines how far removed the current reality is from the freedom Kuss enjoyed three years ago.<\/p>\n Still, ruling out another Grand Tour win does not mean abandoning personal ambition altogether. A victory shaped by timing, not illusion<\/p>\n Kuss\u2019s honesty strips away the romanticism that often surrounds his Vuelta triumph. It was not a blueprint waiting to be repeated, but a rare alignment of form, trust, and underestimation that modern cycling increasingly refuses to allow.<\/p>\n Now recognised, monitored, and central to one of the sport\u2019s most ambitious teams, Kuss understands that his greatest win came precisely because no one was looking for it.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
That element, he admits, has now disappeared. Why the 2023 Vuelta was a once-off opportunity \u201cWhen I…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414976,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,9046,144836,101,36242,6549,56,54,55,20998],"class_list":{"0":"post-414975","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-jonas-vingegaard","10":"tag-sepp-kuss","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-team-visma-lease-a-bike","13":"tag-tour-de-france","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom","17":"tag-vuelta-a-espana"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414975\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cTo really aim to win another Grand Tour, I would need a specific preparation, a complete overhaul of my training and season,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t even know if I\u2019m capable of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019m comfortable in my role as a domestique,\u201d he explained. \u201cI don\u2019t have to manage the pressure. I just have to do my job as well as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\u201cIn the team, we have a leader, but there\u2019s space for everyone,\u201d Kuss said. \u201cWe all have our moments and opportunities. It\u2019s up to us to make the most of them.\u201d<\/p>\n