In His Third Consecutive Grand Tour This Year, Sepp Kuss Takes a Stage Win at the Vuelta a España
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Stage 6 of La Vuelta a España brought us the second mountain finish, this time at the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre, one of the best places in the world to observe space due to low light pollution from the surrounding area.
But the brightest star out today was Sepp Kuss, the American Jumbo-Visma climber and all-around cycling beast. This is Kuss’ third 2023 Grand Tour in the row, beginning with the Giro d’Italia in May, the Tour de France in July, and now Spain’s 3-week showdown.
In his post-race interview, Kuss stayed characteristically humble, thanking his teammates and making it sound like a walk in the park. “The whole climb I was just enjoying the environment that we have in the Vuelta—it’s always a special race for me.” When asked if he was looking to win the overall, Kuss said, “No, no. For me, to win a stage is just incredible, and…one day at a time.” Kuss and his team will certainly be celebrating today’s victory.
The breakaway for Kuss came in the final climb. The field spread out significantly with 7.5 km. to go. Kuss remained tucked in with significant help from teammate Attila Valter. There was an attack with 4 km. to go, then Kuss struck from behind with 3.3 km. to the finish.
Primož Roglič also accelerated, and eventually joined teammates Valter and Vingegaard. But Kuss had nothing but time and space with 2 km to go. He even gave out a few high-fives rather than gunning it to the finish for the precious seconds. And it’s tough not to love him for it—enjoying the win and the day.
Kuss was also asked about where he grew up, in Durango, Colorado—a mountain biking town that has produced legends in the sport. Today’s overall leader is Lenny Martinez, whose father, Miguel Martinez, is the renowned French road cyclist and cross-country mountain biker. Kuss said he had a poster of Miguel Martinez in his garage growing up. “It’s very cool to be racing with his son, but also a realization of how much older I am than these young guys.”
Lenny Martinez, Groupama-FDJ, becomes the youngest post-war rider to lead a Grand Tour, at 20-years-old. Kuss is 28 and anything but slowing down.
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