The biggest bike race in the world begins on Saturday, and Durangoan Sepp Kuss will be competing in it once again.
Kuss is set to ride in his fourth Tour de France for Team Jumbo-Visma. The mountain domestique will play a crucial role in the Tour again this year as Jonas Vingegaard looks to defend his yellow jersey.
“We exceeded our wildest dreams last year with six stage victories, the polka dot jersey, and most importantly, the green and yellow jersey,” said Jumbo-Visma sportive director Marijn Zeeman. “This year we are dreaming big too. Our ambition is to bring the yellow jersey back to Paris. We have a super strong team led by our leader Jonas Vingegaard, and we believe in our plan. Winning the Giro has been a dream come true for us this season. Our riders are prepared for a double at the Tour.”
Kuss was part of the team’s Giro squad, helping Primoz Roglic score the general classification title. Roglic has also won the Vuelta a España three times with Kuss’ support. Vingegaard, meanwhile, won last year’s Tour de France with Kuss’ help, meaning Kuss has helped his team’s leaders win five titles in cycling’s three grand tours.
Roglic, however, won’t race in this year’s Tour. Last year, Roglic and Vingegaard both raced and shared the team’s leader role, but Vingegaard took over the GC hunt after Roglic crashed.
Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Dylan van Baarle, Kuss, Tiesj Benoot, Christophe Laporte, Nathan Van Hooydonck and Wilco Kelderman will ride in the 2023 Tour de France for Team Jumbo-Visma.
Van Aert won the points jersey last year and is also looking for a repeat performance.
This year’s Tour de France starts in Spain’s Basque Country on Saturday with a 182-kilometer stage.
The second stage is the longest at 208.9 kilometers.
Kuss, however, will be needed on the Tour’s toughest stages, especially stages No. 17 and 15.
Stage 17, from Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc to Courchevel, is considered this year’s toughest stage, with 5,399 vertical meters along the 165.7-kilometer route.
Stage 15, with 4,483 vertical meters of climbing over 179 kilometers, is considered the second hardest.
A day off and an individual time trial, the only one on this year’s Tour, will separate the two mountain stages. The cyclists will also get a rest after Stage 9.
The 21-stage Tour will conclude on July 23 in Paris. When Jumbo-Visma rolls into Paris, it hopes it will be for another victory lap.