Rider Profile
Sepp Kuss
Visma-Lease a Bike
Personal Details:
Teams history:
- 2024 - Visma-Lease a Bike
- 2023 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2022 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2021 - Team Jumbo–Visma
- 2020 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2019 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2018 - LottoNL-Jumbo
- 2017 - Rally Cycling
- 2016 - Rally Cycling
Biography:
Sepp Kuss, born in Durango, Colorado, Kuss grew up competing in a variety of sports from Nordic skiing, to kayaking and running before finally settling into cycling in his senior year of high school. As a student at the University of Colorado-Boulder studying advertising, Kuss switched from mountain biking, a discipline in which he won three collegiate titles, to a road focus in 2016.
By 2023, Kuss had a reputation as one of the best climbers in the peloton and won the GC title at the Vuelta a España with Jumbo-Visma, the first US rider to win that Grand Tour in a decade. It was the fifth straight Grand Tour of his career, and he showcased his climbing ability with a win on stage 6 of that Vuelta at the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambra. He had already proved his worth by helping Primož Roglič win the Giro d'Italia and Jonas Vingegaard capture his second Tour de France.
Top results on the road began in 2017 at North American UCI stage races, second-place overall at the Tour of Alberta and a stage win at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah, earned him a multi-year contract at the WorldTour level with Lotto-Jumbo. In his first year with Jumbo, Kuss banked a full spring of experience-building race days including the Critérium du Dauphiné. After returning home, Kuss won three stages, the overall and mountains classifications at the Tour of Utah and competed in his first Grand Tour directly afterward.
In 2019, Kuss raced at the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España, where he won a stage and helped Roglič win the overall, showing himself as a loyal and strong mountain domestique. By 2020, Kuss established himself as a 'super-domestique' - riding to 15th overall in his first Tour de France while helping Roglič to second overall.
In his second Tour de France, Kuss won stage 15 in Andorra, his home base in Europe, and helped Jonas Vingegaard to second overall. In 2022, Kuss was on the Tour de France winning squad when Vingegaard claimed his first title but fell ill during the Vuelta and dropped out before stage 9.
Victories
2023
🥇Vuelta a España GC
🥇Vuelta a España stage 6
2022
🥇Vuelta a España stage 1 (TTT)
2021
🥇Tour de France stage 15
2020
🥇Critérium du Dauphiné stage 5
2019
🥇Vuelta a España stage 15
2018
🥇Tour of Utah GC
🥇Tour of Utah stage 6
🥇Tour of Utah - stage 5
🥇Tour of Utah - stage 2
2016
🥇Tour de Beauce - stage 2
🥇Redlands Bicycle Classic - stage 2
Related Articles
‘This last season gave me a lot of confidence’ - Kuss rules out Grand Tour triple in 2024
By Sophie Smith published
News American pushed beyond physical and mental limits competing in Giro and Tour before winning Vuelta in potentially career-altering campaign
Jumbo-Visma 'should have stayed together' on Angliru, says Zeeman
By Daniel Ostanek published
News Team director lifts lid on Vuelta a España team dynamic
Sepp Kuss takes aim at Grand Tour leadership in 2024
By Daniel Ostanek published
News Vuelta a España champion talks about the challenges of transitioning from domestique to leader
Sepp Kuss receives hero's welcome in Durango after Vuelta a España victory
By James Moultrie published
News First American Grand Tour winner in a decade celebrated with homecoming parade
Denk: Bora-Hansgrohe's Primoz Roglic signing 'inspiring' for Tour de France goals
By Alasdair Fotheringham published
news Roglic 'not really happy with how things were run in the Vuelta a España' says Bora-Hansgrohe team manager
Sepp Kuss extends Vuelta celebration with October 19 homecoming in Durango
By Jackie Tyson published
News Free public event at Buckley Park will include bike parade and autograph session with newly-crowned Grand Tour winner
Sepp Kuss not aiming to be sole Tour de France leader, just a 'joker'
By Laura Weislo published
News Jumbo-Visma boss says 'nothing will change for Sepp'
Sepp Kuss closes curtain on historic 2023 season after Vuelta triumph
By James Moultrie published
News 'It's better to end the season with a bang' says Vuelta a España winner
Blogs
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'Untapped gold' in store for inaugural RADL GRVL in South Australia
Nathan Haas calls gravel course 'raw, fast, exciting' after pre-ride with co-founder Valtteri Bottas -
UCI Gravel Worlds - new course, same criticisms cast doubt on event
Nathan Haas hears feedback from fellow riders on course elevation being 'selective without being stupid' -
Nathan Haas blog: We need to talk about the Unbound mud pit
Was it wrong to not re-route the course? -
Ellen van Dijk - Leading by example
'I have the chance to show the world how normal it should be to perform at a top level as a mother' -
Rukhsar Habibzai - The day I left home
'It is a story shared by thousands of Afghans. It is the day we left home, left our souls and left Afghanistan'