A public homecoming celebration for Durango-native Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) will be held at Buckley Park in the Colorado mountain town on Thursday, October 19.
The popular 29-year-old gained world acclaim last month, referred to as Sepptember, for being the first US rider in a decade to win a Grand Tour, flashing the red leader’s jersey of the Vuelta a España and a broad smile from the podium in Madrid just two weeks ago.
Kuss called his achievement a ‘beautiful storyline’ on his Instagram feed, and the postscript will continue where his cycling career began with Durango Devo, a non-profit youth organisation which today has more than 600 kids in the program as well as 90 certified and trained coaches.
The celebration will be hosted by Durango Devo for one of its most notable alumni, beginning with a public address by Kuss and a question-and-answer session. Then people of all ages are invited to participate in, a bike parade, followed by an autograph session with Kuss, live music and food. Sepp Kuss merchandise will also be available.
Admission is free, with limited parking in the downtown area, so organisers strongly encouraged attendees to ride bicycles to the event and ‘embrace the cycling spirit’.
“Durango Devo is proud of all our alumni, and we’re certainly proud of Sepp Kuss! We are honored to host the Vuelta a España champion and Tour de France stage winner and celebrate his achievements in his hometown. He is a great example of what makes Durango Devo and the Durango cycling community special,” said Levi Kurlander, executive director of Durango Devo.
Durango is also home to the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, a ‘beat the train’ annual bicycle competition from Durango to Silverton, and Fort Lewis College, which supports a successful Division I college cycling program for men and women. Organisers said the mountain town can add another claim to fame, home of ‘the Eagle of Durango’.
Kuss, along his wife Noemi, now makes his residence as a pro cyclist in Andorra. Growing up in the mountains of Durango, Kuss rode mountain bikes with the development programme and later focused on road racing. His first UCI stage race victory was in 2018 at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, and two weeks later he competed in his first Vuelta at the age of 24.
