Durango’s Sepp Kuss will make his return to the Tour de France after a year away from the world’s most prestigious cycling race.
Kuss was announced as part of Team Visma-Lease a Bike’s Tour de France squad on Tuesday after he missed the Tour de France in 2024 due to COVID-19.
Team Visma-Lease a Bike’s team leader will be two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard, who is in contention for another Tour win. Vingegaard will have a tough time beating Tour favorite Tadej Pogačar and could use all the help he can get from Kuss.
Fellow American Matteo Jorgenson will join Kuss on Team Visma-Lease a Bike along with riders who can help in the mountain sections like Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot and Giro d’Italia winner Simon Yates. The team will be rounded out by Victor Campenaerts and Edoardo Affini.
“With these eight very strong riders, we believe in the plan we made for the Tour de France,” Team Visma-Lease a Bike Head of Racing Grischa Niermann said in a press release. “From day one we will have to be there as a team to optimally assist Jonas in the GC. In addition, there will be opportunities for several riders to go for stage wins. We are very deliberately focused on ourselves and our own plan. We have an optimal preparation behind us and with that, we think we can get the best possible result.”
The Tour starts in Lille on July 5 and ends in Paris on July 27. During that time, cyclists will get two rest days. Cyclists will compete in 21 stages and will ride 3,320 kilometers around France. Out of those 21 stages, there will be seven flat stages, six hilly stages, six mountain stages and two time trials. The total vertical gain will be 51,550 meters (169,127.3 feet).
Kuss should once again act as a domestique for Vingegaard and Team Visma-Lease a Bike, especially in the mountain sections.
After a super successful 2023, Kuss has been searching for more team and individual success. He was instrumental in the team’s success when Visma won all three Grand Tours in 2023. Kuss was 14th in the Giro d’Italia, 12th in the Tour and then surprised the cycling world with an incredible victory at La Vuelta a España.
Since then, Kuss and his team have struggled to replicate that success. He missed the Giro d’Italia and the Tour last season and only finished 14th in his La Vuelta a España title defense. He did win the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain, but that’s a step below the WorldTour.
Kuss hasn’t won a WorldTour stage since 2023 and this season, his lone top 10 in a WorldTour event was in stage 8 of the Critérium du Dauphiné in France on June 15. He finished 13th overall in the Critérium du Dauphiné, which is seen as a preparation race for the Tour.
The Durango native’s approach this season has been a longer and gradual buildup to the Tour and the Vuelta a España, according to multiple reports.
If Kuss’ approach works out, it’ll likely mean good results for himself and the team in a season Kuss could really use to bounce back.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
