Sepp Kuss and Jumbo-Visma claimed a historic triumph in the Vuelta a España on Sunday, as the Dutch squad became the first-ever team to secure all three Grand Tours in a single year and simultaneously claimed a clean 1-2-3 sweep of the final Vuelta podium.
After the Giro d’Italia earlier this season with Primož Roglič and then the Tour de France, for a second time, with Jonas Vingegaard in July, it was Kuss’ turn to conquer a Grand Tour in Madrid’s central Paseo de la Castellana boulevard.
The Jumbo-Visma triumvirate enjoyed a trouble-free final stage as they captured and celebrated taking filling the first Grand Tour since the legendary Basque squad, KAS, in the Vuelta way back in 1966.
Roglič, Kuss and Vingegaard first posed in the respect Grand Tour winner's jerseys and wore specially designed team jerseys to commemorate their historic triple of Grand Tour victories.
Then when the Vuelta swept onto the Castellana finishing circuit for the first time, Jumbo-Visma formed ranks at the front of the peloton to mark their collective success.
After crossing the finish line next to the famous Plaza de Cibeles fountains for the last time, the squad massed together to celebrate Kuss' victory amidst a sea of photographers. The American then raised his bike above his head in celebration, as the night closed in and the lighting gave the fountains of Cibeles square a special red hue to celebrate the race.
“When I woke up I thought I was dreaming, it’ll take a long time for me to get used to it.” Kuss told Spanish TV before the stage.
“I don’t know if today is the happiest day of my career, because a Grand Tour success is something you build over multiple stages, but it’s certainly one of them.”
The sixth US rider to win a Grand Tour, Kuss’ winning margin of 17 seconds over second-placed Vingegaard is the eleventh smallest in Grand Tour history. His margin falls between the 2012 Giro d’Italia, which Canadian Ryder Hesjedal won by 16 seconds and the 1982 Vuelta a España, which Basque Marino Lejarreta won by 18.
Kuss drew massive cheers from the crowds both throughout and after the stage, and already on Saturday evening’s press conference the American had recognised he felt he had a special connection with Spanish cycling supporters.
“Each year I’m a bit more ‘half-Spanish’, Kuss said on Saturday “and that’s thanks to my wife, who’s Catalan. She’s helped me to get to know the Spanish people, they know a lot about cycling, the fans are great here.”
“As a professional racer, I like to find new places and explore new climbs and that way I can get closer to the fans.”
As for how Jumbo-Visma had managed to pull off such a notable feat, when just a few years ago they were struggling even to get a single Grand Tour stage win, CEO Richard Plugge explained earlier in the Vuelta that “We looked at other teams when they were starting out and we created our own way of working.”
“Here we try to do it with everybody on the team, with our ‘total cycling’ - winning together, in Dutch, samen winnen.”
“That’s how we try to do it. It’s the nutritionist, the bikes, it’s the training, with our partners, with everything, we try to get the best out of every component of the team.”
“Sky was a good example for us, and probably other people are looking at us now. We try to get better every year, and already now, we are busy thinking and planning about 2024. We are also looking at this year, what we did wrong, and what we can do better.”
As for the rider at the centre of their latest success, “Kuss, he is just himself all the time,” sports director Marc Reef told Eurosport after stage 21.
“He also mentioned this morning in the bus that this victory means as much as also the victories of Jonas in the Tour this year, and also of Primož earlier in May in the Giro. I think that says already everything, that the win for himself means as much as when another guy is winning that he was part of.”
“It is really special as a rider that he did all three Grand Tours, and so far he has been there in all the Grand Tours that we’ve won.”
“We’ve worked so hard for this, not only us the riders, but staff, the team, everybody,” Jumbo-Visma Dylan Van Baarle told Cyclingnews at the finish line, pausing as he received effusive congratulations from fellow Dutch rider Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious).
“I think it really needs to sink in for all of us, but it’s a super special moment.”
“Sepp has sacrificed so much for the whole team already and he was in this position after the stage win [at Javalambre] and he just kept it that way. It’s super special for him to win a Grand Tour.”
“Three Grand Tour wins and not just that, taking the top three on the overall, it’s something we never dreamed of in Barcelona at the start. But now it’s here. It’s crazy.”
The biggest hero of the hour on Sunday evening was, logically, Kuss, as the rider who has gone from being an climbing domestique to Grand Tour winner in a single three-week race to take the biggest victory of his career.
After thanking the riders, his family and the support from back home in Durango, and speaking in first English and then Spanish in his victory speech, Kuss added.
“I also want to thank all the public in this Vuelta, because without your support, I don’t know…you gave me so much support and help.”
“Listening to my name in every corner of Spain, it’s difficult to say, but for me, that closeness is what I like about Spain, and what I like about the Vuelta.”
“This year, more than ever, I’ve enjoyed your support, you’ve helped me to get over so many things in this Vuelta. So many thanks.”
