Sepp Kuss expects 'no gifts' from Roglic and Vingegaard at Vuelta a España

Sepp Kuss has stated he expects “no gifts” as he heads into the final week of the Vuelta a España in the overall lead but trailed by his two teammates, Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard.

Kuss is usually found sacrificing himself for the ambitions of his more decorated teammates, and has helped them each win a Grand Tour this season alone, Roglič taking the Giro d’Italia and Vingegaard the Tour de France.

At the Vuelta, however, he finds himself in an unusual position, gaining time in an opening-week breakaway and passing critical tests in the form of the stage 10 time trial and two days in the Pyrenees to take the red jersey into the final week.

Kuss winning the Vuelta is now a very feasible prospect, and it would appear the biggest threats come from within his own team, as Jumbo-Visma occupy all three steps of the virtual podium, and no one else within 2:30 of his lead.

“There’s no overcomplicating how we use the three of us. It’s nice to be in the position we are now, but we can’t put an over-emphasis on that and lose the bigger picture, which is just winning the race with one of us in the end,” Kuss said in a rest day interview with Belgian broadcaster Sporza.

“We just have to be honest with ourselves, who’s feeling the best, or who has the ability to finish it off in the end."

With Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) tumbling out of overall contention in the Pyrenees, the Vuelta crown looks set for a Jumbo-Visma rider, and the main source of remaining suspense is which of the trio ends up on top.

Kuss, asked whether the trio themselves were joking about the situation, indicated that his teammates consider him their equal but won’t purely ride to defend his red jersey.

“We all know each other well. It’s nice to see they also believe in me and are happy for me and the position I’m in now. But they’re also competitors and they want to win as well,” Kuss said.

“In cycling there are no gifts, or letting off; when you feel good you can’t just hold off.”

In what seemed like a key phrase, he added: “It’s fair that way.”

Kuss, who has helped Jumbo-Visma to six Grand Tour titles, stated his preference for “working in the shadows” but nevertheless outlined how he has grown in confidence and risen to the occasion as part of the leadership circle at this Vuelta.

“I’ve been able to do more than I would have thought beforehand. That’s all the mental game, more than physical," he said.

“The past weeks have been the ones with the most new experiences and also beautiful experiences, and the next week is one that, even without being in this position, I’d be looking forward to. I love the climbs in Cantabria and Asturias, they’re my kind of climbs, the steep climbs you see in the Vuelta. I’m feeling really good and I’m looking forward to this week."