Sepp Kuss remains on top of the overall classification of the Vuelta a España after the stage that suited him the least, and as the race heads back into his favoured terrain, the mountains, the American spoke with renewed optimism about his chances of taking the leader's jersey all the way to Madrid.
As an out-and-out climber who last led a GC classification in the Tour of Utah back in 2018 and who usually uses time trial stages as virtual rest days, Kuss had virtually no reference points for the 26-kilometre race against the clock in Valladolid and off-race data can only get you so far.
But the American came through with flying colours all the same, earning congratulations from time trial world champion and Vuelta arch-rival Remco Evenepoel, amongst others, and finishing 13th at 1:29. A result which placed him ahead of three-times Vuelta runner-up Enric Mas (Movistar) amongst others.
As a result, with an overall lead of 26 seconds on Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), Evenepoel at 1:09, and Primož Roglič at 1:36, even if both teammates Roglič and double Tour de France winner Jona Vingegaard continue to form a major part of the Jumbo-Visma overall game plan, Kuss' GC options remain very much intact as well.
“I have to believe in myself, I would love to keep the red jersey and even win the race and just trust my feelings and ride with my instincts," Kuss told reporters as he celebrated his third day in red.
"For me, the most important thing is we still have two really strong riders in Jonas [Vingegaard] and Primož."
"I don't feel any pressure on my shoulders. I just feel a lot of positivity from the team, that they’re happy to see me in this moment, and that’s the most important thing at this point.”
Kuss said that when it came to defending his lead in the time trial, “I honestly didn't know what to expect. You can always look at the data, this and that and extrapolate certain numbers, and when I rode the course, I thought it was quite decent for me, I just needed to keep the rhythm.
“So I tried not to think too much about anything and just ride as smooth and comfortable as possible.”
“It was a tough day. I suffered a lot because usually when I do a time trial, I back off when I get too much pain, so it was a new experience."
"But it was really nice, I didn't feel so nervous, I just wanted to enjoy the day. No matter what happened, I knew it would be an unforgettable experience - being the last guy on the start ramp, wearing the red jersey and with all the guys cheering you on. That really gave me a lot of power today.”
Yet for all Kuss is gradually increasing in ambition and remains in red as the Vuelta reaches its halfway point, his insistence that the team is still based around a triumvirate also remained firmly in place. As he pointed out, having three riders so well placed in the GC as they hit the mountains can only be an advantage.
Jumbo-Visma certainly has 'previous' in this area as well. In the 2022 Tour, they did a brilliant job of wearing down Tadej Pogačar thanks to Primož Roglič and Vingegaard launching one attack after the other, and even last week in the Vuelta, when Kuss attacked Evenepoel on the Xorret de Catí, Roglič and Vingegaard then shadowed the Belgian.
The Tourmalet, which the Vuelta tackles on Saturday as the key Pyrenean ascent of this year's races, is a much longer climb than Catí, of course. But as Kuss sees it, the principle of using their number to wear down Evenepoel remains the same.
“We've still got three very strong options, and I've shown I've got good legs. In my opinion, if you have good legs in the Pyrenees and on the Angliru, you can get a minute very quickly on the rest," he said.
"We have to play our cards with the three of us because Soudal may be a bit weak in the mountains. If we can isolate Remco, we can do something with that.
“So much can happen in the mountains. In the first half of a Grand Tour, it's always a game of seconds. But then, in one stage [of the second part], you can blow up.
"I feel really good, Primoz and Jonas are looking good as well, giving me a lot of help and helping boost my morale. In the team, our mood is really good.”
With so much backing already in place, what he needed to continue to be on top of his game wasn't a question of needing more support, Kuss said. Rather, it was more a question of his own perspective on how he could perform from here on.
“I’m not a guy that needs to ask for so much," he explained. "I just lay low and do my thing. For me, it works better that way. I just need to be more confident in myself and believe in myself more.”
But the results keep on showing in Kuss' favour. For a climber like himself, a stage win on the summit finish of Javalambre was hardly out of the question. But in the time trial in Valladolid, he performed way better than expected and dispelled any doubts, at least for the moment, about how he could handle his third Grand Tour of the year.
Compared with his situation at the beginning of the second week of the Tour, he said he was feeling much better. “But that’s more mental because I love the Vuelta, and it suits me very well. There's much less tension than in the Tour. So I can do it better."
