'GC Kuss' also surprised coach Heijboer: "Sepp got into a very special flow"

Heijboer serves as Kuss's trainer at Jumbo-Visma and was also surprised by the time trial that the American, as leader of the Vuelta, delivered. "He got into a flow and performed superbly everywhere. He was also in the lead group every time, which of course is not something we are used to from Sepp. He simply got into a very special flow. In terms of power, he really rode his best time trial I have seen," said the always friendly performance manager of Jumbo-Visma after the European Championship time trial won by Joshua Tarling.

The fact that Kuss was capable of winning the Vuelta was not a point of doubt for Heijboer. Yet he too admits that it was mainly a situation that evolved during the Tour of Spain. "In the past, we worked very hard on the classifications with Sepp, but now we have actually let that go. From that relaxation, he performs better than when there's real pressure. Then this can happen, but I did not expect that either," said the coach candidly about Kuss.

Heijboer does not think that we should now pencil in Kuss as a classification rider for every grand tour in the coming years. "It's also a question of whether you should want all of that: we tried with him for one or two years to specifically go for a classification, with everything that entails. We took that very seriously, but that was not the way it went well for him," he admits openly.

"We need to continue with him in the way that is now working well, and then there will be moments in the future when he can achieve very beautiful results from a certain situation," says Heijboer, who points out that the whole 'GC Kuss' fuss might have been somewhat exaggerated. "Don’t forget that he already finished fourth in the UAE Tour and rode top ten in the Tour without a crash."

All in all, Heijboer comes to the conclusion that the outside world and Jumbo-Visma itself should not expect too much from the always cheerful Kuss. "It's very simple. He has now found his optimal situation from which he performs well. That doesn't go hand in hand with top results in every race, but a good level in every race. He enjoys that very much, both in training and in competitions. Then good results will also come, if he is always there at the important key moments."