Sepp Kuss forced to abandon Tour of Oman after illness

Stage 2 looked like it could offer the general classification its first real shake-up, but it was Frenchman Baptiste Veistroffer who struck from the breakaway. In the bunch, there were few meaningful gaps on the Yitti Hills — although Kuss’ result stood out. The American crossed the line in 108th place.

What made it even more notable was the time loss: Kuss finished just under a quarter of an hour down on stage winner Veistroffer. One day later, that off-day was explained when Kuss did not start stage 3. The team confirmed the news X. “Unfortunately, Sepp Kuss did not start stage 3 of the Tour of Oman after developing symptoms of illness. Get well soon, Sepp!”

Kuss was not the only rider to abandon overnight. Josh Kench (Groupama-FDJ United), Alberto Bettiol (XDS Astana) and Marcos Freire (UAE Emirates-XRG) also did not start Monday’s third stage. The Tour of Oman had already lost four riders the day before.