Former Vuelta winner Sepp Kuss on his ambitions for the 2026 Tour of Spain: ‘Most important thing for me’

In total, only two former winners of the Vuelta a España will be at the start of the 2026 edition. Primož Roglič, of course, has won it four times, but Sepp Kuss is also competing. The American rider from Visma | Lease a Bike is realistic enough to know that he will be unlikely to repeat that feat this year.

Kuss won the Vuelta in 2023, after having already competed in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France earlier that year. That is exactly the same route he is following this season, as the Andorra-based climber loves nothing more than racing the Vuelta a España.

"I feel really good. I always look forward to the Vuelta, and that's very important, because after the toll of the Tour, you really have to be mentally strong. I'm ready for it. It's going to be a very tough race right from the start," Kuss told AS.

"As a team, we have a lot of options: we can go for a stage win, see how the young riders perform, and compete for a good overall classification. "We have a very balanced team," says the American, referring to the squad that includes the sprint trio of Wout van Aert, Matthew Brennan, and Christophe Laporte.

"Wout is in good shape and really looking forward to it. It will be a tough battle against Pedersen and possibly Pogacar for the points jersey, but after his crash in the previous Vuelta, which forced him to withdraw, Wout is incredibly eager to bounce back," Kuss notes, referring to the 2024 edition, when Van Aert had to abandon the race while wearing the green jersey.

Kuss himself, along with Ben Tulett and Jorgen Nordhagen, forms the climbing core of Visma | Lease a Bike. “A stage win would be the most important thing for me. A top-10 finish in the general classification matters less to me than a stage win.” After the first half of the race, we’ll assess where we stand as a team in the standings, and from there we’ll look for our opportunities.”

"The home stage in Andorra is sure to be a beautiful one," he says, already keeping an eye on Stage 4. "I don't know if it suits me perfectly, but it's always nice to ride there. Personally, I’m focusing mainly on the stages in the third week with the longer climbs, and Stage 9 in Alicante also suits me well.”