Sepp Kuss comfortable out of the spotlight at Visma-Lease a Bike
‘I’ll just take every race in my stride and see where I can get an opportunity but I’m not looking to overtake anyone within the team’ says American climber
At the start of last season, one of the narratives surrounding Visma-Lease a Bike was over the potential role Sepp Kuss would have within the team.
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A Vuelta a España winner, albeit a surprising one in 2023, there was talk of Grand Tour leadership in either the Giro d’Italia or the Tour de France. In the end, the American missed both of those appointments, the first through design and the second due to a case of COVID on the eve of the Tour. By the time the Vuelta defence came around the 30-year-old was short of form and on the first summit finish to Pico Villuercas on stage 4 - although the time gaps were small - it was clear that Kuss’ wasn’t on par with the best riders in the race. He would eventually finish a respectful 14th overall and pull the curtain down on what had been a generally inconsistent season compared to his typical levels.
Fast forward to January 2025 and Visma-Lease a Bike are outlining their plans and goals for the season ahead. The evening before the team’s press event a series of well-produced and slick video interviews were shared under embargo, with each of the heavy hitters on the men’s and women’s teams sharing their aspirations for the calendar year. Kuss isn’t among them.
The next day, when the leaders are presented to a gathering of journalists in Spain, Kuss is once more missing from the top table of riders invited to speak on the microphone.
To some, especially his fans on social media, this was seen as a sign of disrespect at worst and curiosity at his whereabouts at best, but Kuss was there.
A few minutes after the introductory events, Kuss and the rest of the team filtered through the media room for their interview details, and Kuss - the last Grand Tour winner on Visma’s roster - appeared more than at ease with his billing and lack of focus.
“It’s more and more comfortable for sure,” he said when asked about his lack of airtime during the team leaders’ intros.