For a rider who is one of the best climbers in the world, a Vuelta a España winner, and a member of one of the most dominant teams in cycling, Sepp Kuss remains an incredibly likeable man.
The 31-year-old, who has spent most of his career in service to starrier teammates like Primož Roglič or Jonas Vingegaard, always manages to seem relatable, despite being so good at riding a bike.
Therefore, it was heartening to watch the Visma-Lease a Bike rider climb to glory on stage 19 of the Giro d’Italia on Friday, as he completed the set of Grand Tour stage victories. His first Vuelta win came seven years ago, his triumph at the Tour de France two seasons later, so his victory was testimony to determination, grit, and plugging away.
He attacked and caught another crowd favourite, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) on the final climb in the Dolomites, but that didn’t diminish his likeable win. When he’s at his best, let off the leash, there’s barely anyone in the world that makes riding up a mountain look as effortless as Kuss, it’s where he’s at home.
As ever, as a selfless domestique de luxe, Kuss was adamant post-stage that he didn’t come into the Giro to win a stage, but to help his teammate, Vingegaard, to the overall crown. That all but achieved, however, he was given the chance.
“To be honest, it was never the primary goal, the main challenge was to win the pink jersey with Jonas,” Kuss explained on TV. “So far it’s looking good, but when they told me the other night that I had the chance to go in the break I knew I had to seize the opportunity.”
Five years on from completing two thirds of the trilogy, it took a lot of effort to get to this point, he said: “It’s something I’ve always dreamt of, but every year it gets harder and harder. I keep progressing and getting better but so does everyone else. Every year that goes by I think it’s going to get harder to win a stage of the Giro, to complete all three, but yeah, I just can’t believe it.”
He can believe it now, but it was not an easy ride to the finish, despite that serene climbing style, which got a bit ragged by the end. Asked what the final kilometre was like, when he was surely ahead, he said: “Lots of suffering, because I knew I had to push it all the way to the line, and I went pretty deep in the middle.”
What made it all the more special was that the man from Durango, Colorado, was joined in Italy for his moment of triumph by his mother. All top cyclists live like monks, but those from other continents racing in Europe have to live more than a few hours from home, too, and an emotional Kuss made clear that this life is not easy.
“I knew my mother was going to be standing 500m from the finish, and a big shout out to her and my family,” he said, holding back tears. “I only see them a few weeks of the year, and it’s hard to stay in contact with everyone that’s far away. It’s really nice to see her there, and I’m always thinking of my family and my friends that I don’t get to see so much, so this one’s for them.”
Grand Tour trilogy complete, interview done, Kuss was free to embrace his mother, in the knowledge that all that work was worthwhile. It was a moment to realise pro cyclists are human too, just incredibly powerful ones; the scene just added to his charm, too. Congratulations, Sepp.
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