Insane final climb, uncertainty for GC contenders, and Kuss in the lead: "I don’t know, it’s still early"

The Pico Villuercas is a climb that is quintessentially Spanish. Perhaps not dizzyingly high, but certainly very unpredictable, with classic Vuelta-style ramps towards the end of the climb. It's a place where a bad day can cost you minutes. In short, it's a make-or-break moment. One rider heading into the stage with plenty of question marks is Sepp Kuss, the American from Visma | Lease a Bike, who is forming a tandem with his Belgian teammate Cian Uijtdebroeks.

It’s been clear for a while that Uijtdebroeks has a lot of confidence from the Visma | Lease a Bike team. Nevertheless, Sepp Kuss is racing the Vuelta with the number one bib and is, on paper, the team leader. But, as Zeeman already mentioned, Kuss is still finding his form. And whether he finds it in this Vuelta remains to be seen, as he told CyclingUpToDate.

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When asked if Tuesday is the day for Kuss to shine, the American leader of the Dutch team responded with a serious expression and cautious words. "I don’t think tomorrow is my day yet; it’s still very early in this race for me. I don’t know if it will go well, and I think that will be the case for many other riders too," he said, keeping his cards close to his chest.

Representing Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, Ben O'Connor also looked ahead to the Villuercas. Speaking to Cyclingnews, the Australian shared his thoughts on the fourth stage, and he believes it will be a brutal verdict. "There will be guys who'll really implode on this climb. Let’s hope I’m not one of them. This mountain will have a huge impact on the race," he said, reflecting on Tuesday's final climb.

O'Connor highlighted the climb's fairness, given its steepness towards the end. "Basically, it’s just about riding at the pace you can manage to keep pedaling. That’s how steep this mountain is. I honestly doubt we’ll see many attacks because there are parts where it’s just not possible. Plus, it’s going to be super hot. And then you’ve got three kilometers at 13 to 14 percent? It’s going to create some big gaps."