Sepp Kuss thanks Van Aert and Nordhagen after stunning Vuelta raid: 'I had goosebumps all day'

Sepp Kuss started the 20th stage of the Vuelta a España in 11th place in the general classification, but a spectacular long-range move saw him climb no fewer than six positions in the general classification. Kuss and Visma | Lease a Bike had devised an ambitious plan, and because the podium contenders initially did not regard the American as a major threat, it worked.

Kuss had enjoyed an excellent opening week at the Vuelta a España, but his race took a turn on Stage 8 when he went down in the same crash as Tadej Pogacar. From that point onward, things became more difficult. A battle for the final podium was no longer realistic, while even a stage victory appeared increasingly difficult to achieve.

That made what unfolded on Stage 20 all the more unexpected. Kuss attacked, with the ever-aggressive Richard Carapaz among those also making moves, and eventually found himself in a remarkable situation a long way from the finish. His rivals behind began watching one another, while Kuss simply kept riding.

Visma | Lease a Bike had already sent Wout van Aert and Jørgen Nordhagen into the breakaway, creating the perfect scenario for Kuss to ride from one teammate to the next. Van Aert performed a huge amount of work on the approach to the final climb before Nordhagen took over, driving the pace from the foot of the ascent almost all the way to the finish.

The decision to attack early was typical Kuss. Even without his very best form, he was willing to take a chance, and that courage deserved credit. But it was Van Aert and Nordhagen who ensured the move ultimately delivered something significant. So significant, in fact, that Kuss climbed all the way from 11th to fifth place overall.

Enric Mas, Primož Roglič and Felix Gall initially looked at one another and focused only on neutralising fourth-placed Carapaz. Kuss had started the day outside the top ten and did not initially appear dangerous, but that changed when his advantage over the red jersey group grew beyond five minutes.

Carapaz was eventually forced to put a teammate on the front to protect his fourth place in the general classification. Once Kuss had been brought back within a more manageable margin, the podium contenders also began attacking one another. By then, however, the damage had been done. A completely exhausted Kuss crossed the line 4 minutes and 35 seconds behind stage winner Mikel Landa, but still around two minutes ahead of Gall.

The sight of Van Aert coming almost to a standstill after emptying himself for his teammate, followed by Nordhagen continuing to push until the final metres while encouraging Kuss, left the American smiling when he spoke to Eurosport afterwards. "Hats off to the team. I had a lot of fun today."

"We had a plan, and every rider on the team had a role in it," Kuss explained after seeing all the pieces of Visma | Lease a Bike's puzzle fall into place. "That is how we race as a team. That is our identity. It was amazing to be part of it, and I had goosebumps all day."

"It was nice to race like that again after not really being able to ride the way I wanted throughout this Vuelta. Things went differently than expected, so I really enjoyed playing around on all those steep climbs today," the 2023 Vuelta winner continued.

And what exactly had Visma's plan been? Kuss explained: "We wanted to go for the stage win, but from what happened over the last few days, we knew I wasn't simply going to be allowed into the early breakaway. I had nothing to lose, and I knew I had strong teammates up the road, so I went all-in. It never felt like I was alone."