How Sepp Kuss Won the Vuelta a Espana 2023 | The UNEXPECTED American WINNER 

I think Kuss is the only rider in the Peloton who's father is over 90!

Congrats Sepp. Well deserved win. There's gonna be a lot of beer drinking today in Durango.

@@mracer8 I was wondering why his mother came without his father. Sep Kuss mentioned that he hoped his father could come too. I hope that happened. I had a teacher who’s father was 85 at the time of his birth - his birth father!?

Incredible! Chapeaux TJV!! Congratulations, felicidades Sepp! 🙌🏆🥲🇺🇸🚵‍♀️ exemplary cyclist, gracious leader, stalwart teammate, and above all beautiful human ❤Sepp❤️

@@JP41257 I think Sep Kuss got a head start in the consumption of alcohol when he chugged all that cava on the stage 6 podium.😀

From the UK - we were rooting for him, too. Sepp's a true sportsman! A real credit to the US and a worthy winner.

As a Dane I share your view and where rooting for him all the time.

This Vuelta was taken from You Vingo. I really feel for you. You were evidently the stronger rider for some charity give away plus some mysterious event like the break away let inexplicably go 7 minutes ahead. Vast majority of channels were stuck with their Team mentality and could not read the new situation of a race that became an internal affair between riders. Also cycling is not soccer, basketball, volleyball, its an individual team that is why there is the GC and not the team times, rarely shown. Cycling is also a Team sport however its secondary to the individual racers and winners. They should have raced at their best and let the best win a simple and obvious strategy not applied resulting of Vingo putting 21 days of super hard work in vain for some charity give away and thank you for the past work? I feel for Vingo a lot, Kuss would have wanted to win the race with Roglic and Vingo putting the best foot forward. It seems a bit selfish form Kuss to demand that 2 Capitans and superstars would become your domestiques only because you are few seconds ahead? To my eyes this is your Vuelta Vingo. Net year Tour and Vuelta

I’m American, too, and agree Kuss seems to be very likable and a talented rider, but are those good reasons to award him the red jersey? Stronger, better riders held back and LET him win. Is this really what we want in our sports? Don’t we get enough of that kumbaya crap from Hollywood? Now we have to have it in sports? It’s the whole, “everyone gets a trophy to feel good about themselves” concept. No thanks, I want my champions to be the best, not just good.

@@fredpearson5204 There is a long history in the various grand tours of the designated team leader winning, rather than the strongest rider on a given team. Greg LeMond in 1985 (Bernard Hinault), and Jan Ullrich in 1996 (Bjarne Riis) are just two examples off the top of my head...

Sean Kelly was once requested to submit a urine sample, came back positive. Then he admitted it wasn't his urine but his mechanic's. Google it for full story, but these are the lengths pro cyclists go to to cheat and win.

The English speaking media have their English speaking favourites.

Not to begrudge Kuss the win, but everyone knows if Roglic or Vinegaard had stepped on the gas, they were both stronger. If I was Kuss I would have wanted to win because I was the strogest rider and not to be gifted it just because no other team was challenging.

Isn't what domestiques do? I am pretty sure there are domeatiques that could win a gc even with the leader there.

Thank you THart :D

And Blue! Wout just won the tour of Britain.

@@hendrixinfinity3992 Yes!!! He did!! Thank you for mentioning Wout van Aert ❤️ His stage win was spectacular!!

Kuss could not have done it on another team.

I done think so.

Both Jonas and Premoz' could have taken it from him if it was an all out race! I'm still glad he won though, he did deserve a win from TJV.

Thank you for the nice comments and yes very true many nuances hahaha

Great summary by YOU. Great summary by yourself --> means he had NO help from others. SIGH!

Welcome aboard and glad you did Craig :)

Glad you enjoyed it

I guess at that time the plan was that he was there to ride for JV and PR for the rest of the race

also be reminded his peers were told to back off

good teammates don't need to be told when one of theirs wears the leader's jersey.@@savagepro9060

@@savagepro9060 Well, after he was in red. Or are you suggesting it was decided at the very beginning that Sepp would be going for red?

@@chrisj5443 time line does not matter, my friend

@@savagepro9060 OK, I see you're referring to what came after he was in red. My comment was only in reference to getting into red. But once he did well in the TT, it was too late for PR and JV, as attacking a teammate isn't done, which they all know.

This Vuelta was taken from You Vingo. I really feel for you. You were evidently the stronger rider for some charity give away plus some mysterious event like the break away let inexplicably go 7 minutes ahead. Vast majority of channels were stuck with their Team mentality and could not read the new situation of a race that became an internal affair between riders. Also cycling is not soccer, basketball, volleyball, its an individual team that is why there is the GC and not the team times, rarely shown. Cycling is also a Team sport however its secondary to the individual racers and winners. They should have raced at their best and let the best win a simple and obvious strategy not applied resulting of Vingo putting 21 days of super hard work in vain for some charity give away and thank you for the past work? I feel for Vingo a lot, Kuss would have wanted to win the race with Roglic and Vingo putting the best foot forward. It seems a bit selfish form Kuss to demand that 2 Capitans and superstars would become your domestiques only because you are few seconds ahead? To my eyes this is your Vuelta Vingo. Net year Tour and Vuelta

​@@thesuperheroteacher6101I think your not considering team tactics though. For example. Let's say Jumbo decided Sepp was GC rider in the TDF, then Jonas would have ridden Domestic and taken wind more and focused on getting Sepps times lower and Sepp could've been TDF victor. It's all dependent on team dynamics. NOBODY solos a grand tour.

@@collinbradford8866 Nah Vingegaard was robbed... Race was boring because vingegaard wasnt allowed to ride his best.

Jonas did it for Sepp, Get it right.

That is the way it works rub my back I rub yours you dig.@@dichaelovic

Not really. Everyone had to slow down and make the race boring...

That race was far from boring.

Yup. That's the reason. But a nice story nonetheless and Kuss is so likable

Indeed. A nice unexpected reward for his super domestique role in the other two GTs including saving Primoz's Giro. edit 3 1/2 Remco's bizarre implosion.@@oskardavidmannovolesen4759

Vinegaard did dedicate his stage win to his young daughter and it was reported and spoken about on GCN. Nathan was also mentioned.

yeah - it's so a coupla days ago!

No matter how good, thoughtful, sensitive the commentary, there's always someone who crawls out and finds fault with ya. Great commentary, CD!

@@dugldoo And there will always be people who slurp up anything they are fed.

That’s your theory. We will never know for sure.

Actually you do if there is a plan behind it. Carlos Sastre attacked on Alpe d'Huez while Frank Schleck was in yellow. It confused the competitors like Cadel Evans enough that Sastre ended up winning.

Vingegaard was alone for 10km on tourmalet... Ofcourse hes not going to gain time for that long on a queen stage mountain.

So you honestly believe Vingeaard could not have taken 8 seconds from Kuss if he really really went for it?!

You are quite right that the rule is a leftover from the olden days.

You are quite right that the rule is a leftover from the olden days.

Sepp will be irrelevant if he joins another team.

He could get a job as the second best climber domestique on UAE - after Yates.

Just wait til next years TDF !

Yes, race got boring because they had to wait for Sepp.

"he could only win it..." is speculation, since that case did not play out. as for his teammates... same speculation applies to their grand tour victories.

That’s every GC win. Welcome to pro cycling, always good to have newbies come onboard!😊

​ @rockhopper01 The deluded 'muricans are out in force, trying to convince the world that it's normal for the 3rd strongest rider in a team to win the GC: "That’s every GC win".

Cycling history is replete with strong riders capable of winning stages, who work for their leader, even when they might have the legs to win the GC. That is professional cycling, a team sport.

@@DanBlake3rd What's that? Another 'murican trying to convince us that Kuss can beat Vingegaard? Honestly, you ought to focus on something more productive. There's a pretty good chance that the US is not a democratic republic following your next presidential election. How about you focus on that instead?

you are HALF right, Jumbo authorities MADE them Vinny and Jonas back off

The same way Vingegaard and Roglic won previous races 😂

@@patrzkomuufasz5315, not really. In either the Giro or TDF, what rider do you think should have won? Which rider deliberately slowed down to allow them to win? And don’t say Kuss-he’s a super domestique whose job is to help control the pace on climbs, but he lacks the explosive power to actually win any mountain stage (or any stage if truth be known). Check the stage results of both races-Roglic and Vingegaard are both well represented in their respective Tour stages results. Noticibly absent among the routine top stage finishers in both races is Sepp. The team made a kumbaya decision to let Kuss win the Vuelta, and that’s the only reason he won.

@@savagepro9060, true statement.

@@fredpearson5204 Sepp could have left Roglic on 2020 Angliru stage 12. He probably could have beat Hugh Carthy for the stage. Instead he towed Roglic up the mountain and helped him stay in Red. He literally has done this his entire career of sacrificing his strong legs for the man in the leaders jersey. That's called teamwork

I hope Jonas will too, so the races will be compettetive.

He told you that ?

Adam Yates and Wout were the strongest riders in Paris-Nice 2022, yet Teamwork and humility got Roglic the GC win. Sooooo, that arguement doesn't hold up.

@@coopaloopmex Thats a delusional take to think they are better than Roglic lol.

Don’t be bitter now

@@jacobjorgenson9285 too late, we are bitter like . . .

This!

@@micomrkaic so you are insinuating that Kuss is another Horner? Is that what you are saying?

@@DanBlake3rd No, you clearly don't understand what I'm saying. Read the EU convention.

That word doesn’t mean what you think it means.

@@rockhopper01 I guess metaphor doesn't mean what it means? skipped literature class much? It's called a PUN, playing with words, 'WOKE and sleep'. SIGH!

Lol love it But let’s be honest Lance has much more in common with Lia Thomas than he does with Sepp Sepp beat all the other GC's here, sure it’s hard (really hard) to believe he could beat Roglic or Jonas if they were on a different team, but they aren’t we'd be unsure if either Roglic or Jonas really could beat the other if one of them won. But as for those dopers sure Armstrong could win the TDF femmes but in the male race undoped he's most likely a DNF seeing those middle of the pack riders "win" acting "manly" to help silence the doubters might have been fun for you but those little pansy freaks are far more woke than real men helping out a teammate who is a great rider in his own right win the 3rd most important GT in respect for what he’s done for them in the 2 biggest

You should watch more grand tours to understand better how professional cycling is a team sport. You speak as if it is every rider rides for himself only. Sepp has been in the other position, stronger, but holding back for his boss. No one complains. It is how the game is played.

@@DanBlake3rd No grand tour winners was ever gifted the win like Sepp was though.

@@dichaelovic may I suggest that you review the 1985 Tour.

Now Americans can empty their corporate $$ into a sport which means very little to them. Just as the organizers planned.

lose a bet?

Sepp didn’t need to come to this race. He came to help. Unlike his team captains he didn’t have anyone working for him. Until the last two days he defended the Jersey by himself. He was still pulling in front of his captains. He always did what’s expected only J and P fought against a teammate. Sepp has class, unlike his teammates!

@@paulc7147 this win is tainted since Vingeggard and Roglic were held back by a Domestique for no apparent reasons besides he is a nice guy and he helped them before

@@thesuperheroteacher6101 - this win is only tainted in the eyes of people that don't know what the hell they're talking about.

nice!@@user-lg2jm9zg6l

The only bullshit is that you are not familiar with professional cycling tactics and protocol. It must hurt you to be in the dark.

Very familiar with it. The domestiques are in service to the team leaders. Protocol gives them stage wins for their service to the team, not grand tours. Team tactics would have still had Jumbo winning at least the top 2 spots and more than likely the 3rd. The only thing really in question were the placings which they decided to gift to Kuss because everyone got all up in their feelings. Grow a pair, stop believing that Kuss "desrved" to win and realize that Jonas would have easily won and Primoz probably would have surpassed Kuss also.@@DanBlake3rd

@@robertgriffin2046 Interesting take, but unless you are on the team bus, you really don't know what the tactics were and how they changed. In the end the Director Sportif makes the tactics that best help the team. I think he got it right

Yes it ruins the compettetiveness and makes the race boring. Seeing a rider not being able to ride his best is pathetic.

@@DanBlake3rd Thats a bullshit tactic. Jumbo would have won no matter what, but they choose to make the race boring.

You could make that argument for Jonas, but I don't see how Roglic was "clearly better." He was still a minute behind after his attack on the queen stage, which was the only one in which Sepp looked even remotely weak (and yet was still ahead of the full peloton with only Landa being able to catch up.) Also, at the end of ALL the attacks Sepp was still 8 s ahead of Vingo.

Salty Europeans

Nah it’s more like Luis Suarez winning the golden boot. Ofc vingegaard is Messi and Roglic is neymar.

so... took an ethics course & just started paying attention to pro sports, eh?

Just make the transition from soccer to other sports? Cycling is a bit different that most other team sports. But it still is a TEAM sport. It's got some nuances 👍

It’s better off without you , you don’t understand how it works

@@Bob46374 thank you, no hard feelings

Easy for trolls to criticise sitting in their bedrooms on their phones.

@@rb1062 I'm on a computer, did a 20-mile ride this morning, Sunday, Caribbean tropical delight of an island, if you asked me

It's not new. Chris Froome had to support Gerant Thomas in the 2018 TdF despite being the team leader at the outset. CF probability could have attacked and beat his teammate. Instead, he took 3rd. The goal is to have _someone_ in your team win. That's what the sponsor wants. They pay the salaries. It's not "woke" (whatever that is supposed to mean). It's capitalism. If you attack a teammate in the lead, you end up spreading your team thinner and undermine the confidence in your teammates. It's a losing strategy.