‘I just somersaulted': Sepp Kuss tumbles out of Tour de France top 10 after crash
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LE MARKSTEIN, France – An hour after the finish of stage 20, the Jumbo-Visma team bus had left town and a cold wind was blowing down the finishing straight.
The Tour de France is all over, bar the shouting – specifically from Thibaut Pinot fans at the nearby Groupama-FDJ team bus.
Sepp Kuss appeared, riding towards a team van. His left eye was orange and swollen, after going for stitches following his dramatic crash 100 kilometers from the finish. His right elbow was covered in cuts and medical gauze. His jersey was torn, rather like his GC hopes.
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“I’m all good,” he told Velo. The climber from Colorado is a tough cookie.
“I feel OK. [Carlos] Rodríguez’s tire blew up round a corner and there was no way around it so I just somersaulted,” he said, explaining how the fall happened on the descent of the day’s first climb at the Ballon d’Alsace.
With blood trickling down his face from a deep cut, Kuss went into survival mode after that.
Finishing the stage over 20 minutes down after more punishment on the steep climbs of the Vosges, he was the day’s big mover on the GC, dropping from ninth overall to 12th, 37:32 down on teammate Vingegaard.
Pure grit! 🇺🇸Sepp Kuss battles on after a bad crash on stage 20 of the Tour de France.#TDF2023 @ChristianVDV | @seppkuss | @JumboVismaRoad pic.twitter.com/sDXbwqhUxe — NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) July 22, 2023
That makes two unavoidable crashes in a week for Kuss, given his fall when a phone-toting spectator stepped out on stage 15. He must be feeling a bit unlucky.
“It’s how it goes, I’m just happy I could finish the stage and that we have the yellow jersey. That’s what got me through the day,” he said.
Full of praise for Kuss
At the team bus, his Jumbo-Visma sport director Grischa Niermann was full of praise.
“It’s a real pity for him he fell out of GC,” he said. “He did a great race, he’s one of the best mountain domestiques in the world and on top of that, he’s a super, super good guy. Everyone loves to have him in the team at any stage.”
Kuss himself was not too sore about losing his ninth place.
“It’s nice to see your name there on the results but when you have the yellow jersey, it’s fine,” he said.
“I know I gave it my best, especially for Jonas: that’s what matters most. I’m just happy I got through the day, considering the circumstances.”
Kuss sets a tough pace on the Puy de Dôme, with Vingegaard on his wheel. (Photo by Bernard Papon – Pool/Getty Images)
Looking at the big picture, the 28-year-old was pleased with his Tour de France.
“It went really good, it was better than I expected coming from the Giro. I was happy to be there in a lot of key moments in such a hard Tour,” Kuss said.
It’s also a race where we discovered his nickname on Jumbo-Visma is “the Mailman” because he always delivers.
The facts are hard to argue against: when Vingegaard crosses the line in Paris, Kuss will have been on Jumbo-Visma for all six of their grand tour wins and both of the Dane’s Tour triumphs.
How does the expected second win compare to the first?
“I think the first time was really special because it was a big battle. It’s hard to compare them all, but it was really nice,” he said.
A good celebration is well-earned for Kuss. He was still smiling and unbowed after his difficult day.
“I need some beers and some chips tonight,” he said.
Source: Outside Magazine
