🎥 Visma gutted Kuss crashed, but also relieved he didn't end up in a ravine: ' Left with a sour feeling'

Sepp Kuss let what seemed like a near-certain stage victory in the Tour de France slip through his fingers during Stage 20 on Saturday. The American rider from Visma | Lease a Bike was riding solo in the lead after a day on the breakaway, but on a two-stage descent of the Col de Sarenne, Kuss crashed no fewer than twice. It was especially during the second crash that he was saved from a deep precipice.

Kuss rode a perfect race for a long time together with Visma | Lease a Bike, and when the best remained in the final, the American seemed the strongest of them all. Richard Carapaz was the only one to keep the pressure on, even when Kuss rode away multiple times. As a result, the gap remained small, and Kuss therefore had to take all the risks on the descent after the Col de Sarenne, a descent in two parts.

It was the moment we saw the Visma climber standing next to his bike for the first time. There were no images of the first crash, but analyst Robert Gesink told the NOS that he had also ridden the tunnel and that it was wet there. Kuss must therefore have slipped there and was able to continue quickly. Even after the delay, he continued to ride ahead of Carapaz.

The worst was behind us, it seemed. But in the second part of the descent we suddenly saw Kuss fall again in full view. And this crash was more annoying. Besides the fact that Carapaz now thundered over the American, Kuss also had an angel on his shoulder with a net that was stretched above the wall. Just where the net ended, Kuss stopped his fall.

So no fall into a ravine, although Kuss must have been quite frightened. He got on again and seemed to get closer towards the uphill finish on Alpe d'Huez, but eventually the elastic broke and he gave in. Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) even got over him, leaving Kuss third in the day's results.

At the top of Alpe d'Huez, team manager Marc Reef was devastated after Kuss's third-place finish. 'I am mainly disappointed that we were in a winning position and lost it this way. I am disappointed that we didn't win the race. We did everything right and had four men in the breakaway. Sepp was our man and showed that he was the best of the escapee. But that doesn't get you very far.'

The Dutchman had to be told that Kuss narrowly avoided a fall into a ravine. 'I suddenly saw him get back on and later fall again in a right-hand bend. Both times he got back on the bike. But it was fortunate that it was hanging right there. We fought hard to win this week and we were well on our way today. Now you are left with a sour feeling.'

Kuss was able to smile again afterwards, however, and even took a selfie with Carapaz behind the podium. He was also level-headed and honest in his reaction. "I wasn't entirely clear-headed anymore after a big effort on the Col de Sarenne. I was trying to maintain my lead over Carapaz and so I got the most out of every corner."

"I misjudged the corner at the tunnel. It was a bit too rushed, which caused me to make a mistake in another corner. It wasn't very scary for me; fortunately, there were nets, so I didn't hurt myself. I would have liked to finish the Tour with a win, but I can still be satisfied with this Tour and the spirit we showed. We kept fighting, despite the ups and downs."