Emotional Sepp Kuss had stopped believing but found extra motivation in the finale of Giro queen stage
CyclingFriday, 29 May 2026 at 19:36
The first four uphill finishes in this Giro d’Italia had already gone to Visma | Lease a Bike, and so did the fifth thanks to and American. After Jonas Vingegaard’s quartet, it was Sepp Kuss in the Dolomites, the super-domestique who completed his Grand Tour trilogy of stage wins. The Colorado native was immensely grateful in his flash interview.
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“To be honest, this was never the main goal,” Kuss began. “Our big challenge was winning the pink jersey with Jonas. So far, that looks good,” he said with classic understatement. “When they told me last night that I had the chance to go in the break, I knew I had to take it.”
And so the trilogy is complete. “This is something I have always dreamed of, but it gets harder every year. I keep getting better, but so do all the other riders. After every season I think again: it is going to be harder to win a Giro stage and complete the trilogy. I cannot believe it has happened now.”
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“I think it was the last missing piece of the puzzle,” he said. “In a way, it also brought pressure. I knew how much I wanted it, but also how hard it was to complete. Sometimes the more you want something, the harder it becomes. That can make you make mistakes, but today that did not happen. These are the days I live for: the queen stages, the hardest stages of the race.”
Read on below the video!
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Kuss stopped believing for a while
Kuss spent the whole day in the breakaway, but he did have to deal with an attacking Giulio Ciccone. “I was not sure whether I would be able to catch him. I knew he would go for the mountain points on the penultimate climb. It looked as if he would sit up again at the top, but then he looked back and saw a gap. When he had a minute, I thought it was over.”
“I was a bit demotivated,” Kuss admitted afterwards honestly. “But I just focused on climbing as fast as I could. It was a steep climb, which was perfect for me. The last kilometre was painful, because I knew I had to keep going all the way to the line,” said Kuss, who had extra motivation to go all in.
“I knew my mother would be standing 500 metres from the finish,” the American said. “A big shout-out to her and my whole family, because I only see them a few weeks a year. It is hard to stay in touch with everyone who is far away.”
That made it even more special in Italy. “It was very nice to have her there. I always think about my family and friends, whom I do not get to see that often. This is for them,” Kuss concluded with tears in his eyes and a slightly trembling voice.
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Latest Comments
- The only cyclist who can beat Tadej is Tadej.
Brucegel09-05-2026 - Enough of this b.s. already.Just tell the world all you suspicious people what would satisfy you that he is not doping.live real time urinating and testing?.Live real time blood draws 5 seconds after a race is over?.Fecal analysis.WTF will satisfy you?Brucegel03-05-2026
- This suspicion could be laid to rest by what? What would make all doubters happy that Pogi is clean? Just tell the world all you Frenchmen et al what you want as protocol.You will never be satisfied.That is your level of mindless groundless suspicions.Brucegel03-05-2026
- Here is a novel idea......it's a road bike race, stick to smooth asphalt courses! Cobble is like mild off-road cross riding!!!!Germanrazor14-04-2026
- To lose a race like that on a mechanical problem in this day and age is unforgivable. Why aren't all riders using the same (interchangeable) gear? It is the job of the team manager to manage and reduce risk variables. The fact that he not only didn't pick up on the potential issue but actually ok'd it is just madness.fatehasfans13-04-2026
- Rider X, y and z? Could you update?yaNzKEWL21-03-2026
- Can anyone help me understand the thinking behind the two punishments? Are the commissaires saying you get thrown out of the race for a second inadvertent disposal of a bidon (even to the delight of fans) but that as long as you can afford it you can show off your phalangeal cuticles all day long on international TV? Aking for a friend.packfiller7112-03-2026
- It's a bit embarrassing that. Isn't the main sponsor supposed to keep them at 36.5 ?tomjacques03-03-2026
- They were close to cracking a very tired Tadej that wasn't fully focused on the TdF with a team of riders focused solely on cracking Tadej. And if they cracked him, he would have still won. Tadej won't be racing the giro this year. It'll be an even easier win for him.Veganpotter09-02-2026
- Nice!Bea22-01-2026
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