Regardless of going from tremendous domestique to Grand Tour winner final summer season on the Vuelta España within the largest win of his profession, Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a Bike) remains to be holding agency that Tour de France management is a special beast.
Kuss agreed with what Visma DS Grischa Niermann advised Cyclingnews yesterday, that the hope is to follow plan A and have Jonas Vingegaard return from harm in time for the Tour to guide the Dutch squad.
The American believes for Visma-Lease a Bike to win their third Tour de France in succession, it’s “probably” solely potential with Vingegaard on the beginning line.
Two-time defending champion Vingegaard is at present at altitude camp in Tignes on his lengthy journey again from harm whereas Kuss takes co-leads Visma on the Critérium du Dauphiné alongside US compatriot Matteo Jorgenson.
“After all, it might change a bit [his Tour status]. I might hope that Jonas may do the Tour, I feel that offers us all a much bigger goal,” Kuss advised reporters in Gannat forward of stage 2 in France.
“For me, it is simpler there with Jonas than simply alone for certain. But when he is not there, then I am able to adapt however then you must regulate the expectations a bit.”
There is not any stress for the second from the American, nevertheless, even with out his chief and final 12 months’s winner Vingegaard on the Dauphiné and the Tour simply 26 days away.
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The truth is, he solely exuded calmness on the opening two phases of the eight-day race, virtually lacking the départ fictif on stage 1 to answer the media and trying to get pleasure from his first race again since Itzulia Basque Nation in April the place Vingegaard broke his collarbone and ribs and suffered a collapsed lung.
Kuss additionally made certain to not pigeonhole himself for a particular aim on the Tour de France ought to he find yourself as a pacesetter, be {that a} top-five or podium end, conscious that Vingegaard’s nonetheless undecided presence would change all the pieces.
“I don’t know,” he replied with a smile when requested how excessive he may end if tasked with taking up the likes of Tadej Pogačar (UAE Workforce Emirates) for the general alone.
“It relies on so many issues. I at all times need to shoot for the most effective however within the Tour, you must be practical,” Kuss stated. “It is the toughest race to win and the toughest race to be on the rostrum.”
Nonetheless, whereas Kuss was unwilling to foretell how his present type would carry to the Florence Grand Depart on June 29, he assured that he would seize the second ought to it come up on the Tour.
“I simply should see within the second how I really feel and I feel I do know myself nicely sufficient – when I’ve the legs or not, and it is nonetheless a methods away till the Tour to see truly the way it’s going there,” stated the 29-year previous Durango native.
“If I see the chance there I will go for it.”
Kuss completed within the group of leaders on stage 2 of the Dauphiné and sits equal sixth whereas Jorgenson moved as much as third total because the pair problem for total victory.
Nonetheless, regardless of his excellence on the climbs, Kuss is conscious that the 34km time trial on stage 4 is not suited to his strengths, admitting that “I will lose fairly a while probably.”
And though the American defended his Vuelta lead within the TT final 12 months en path to securing the US’s first Grand Tour victory for a decade, this drawback will solely be magnified on the Tour.
He’ll be suited to many of the 2024 parcours however the 59 kilometres between the flat-ish race in opposition to the clock on stage 7 and the ultimate time trial from Monaco to Good will solely play into the fingers of Pogačar, Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) and Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Fast-Step).
Kuss’ finest outcome on the Tour is twelfth total from final 12 months’s race, the place solely a crash on stage 20 denied him a top-10 end.
In that race, Vingegaard’s domination on the brutally robust and boiling scorching Cote de Domancy ITT locations him as the one viable Visma choice in opposition to a top-form Pogačar after the Slovenian blitzed the GC subject within the Giro d’Italia’s duo of time trials final month.
To not point out his repeated domination over Pogačar on the toughest, longest climbs to excessive altitude up to now two editions of La Grande Boucle
‘GC Kuss’ may but change into the principle choice, however the focus at Visma is definitely nonetheless on their outright chief Vingegaard returning near 100% and making an attempt to say a Tour de France hat-trick whereas denying Pogačar a historic Giro-Tour double within the course of.
