All the drama and speculation concerning Jumbo/Visma’s tactics in the 2023 La Vuelta resolved itself in a fairy tale ending on Sunday when Sepp Kuss rolled across the line in Madrid wearing the red leader’s jersey. But midway through the race it was anything but a fairy tale for Jumbo/Visma and their fans.
After Remco Evenepoel’s meltdown on stage 13, where he finished a whopping 27 minutes behind the winner Jonas Vingegaard, many assumed La Vuelta was a done deal. After all, the only thing left to be decided was which spots Kuss’s teammates Primoz Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard would occupy on the podium next to him. But nothing is ever easy in a Grand Tour and what unfolded next was an internal team battle for leadership that left fans everywhere scratching their heads. Even Jumbo/Visma management avoided addressing the issue directly, preferring instead to say that their riders and the road would decide in the end.
Post-stage interviews with the Big Three didn’t help any in clearing up the confusion. For a team that lives by the creed “Samen Winnen” [Winning Together] their words to the press were baffling.
GC leader Kuss, the ever-loyal domestique, was the most reluctant to criticize his teammates, repeating more or less the same line after each stage. “They [my teammates] continuously give me advice during the stage and it is nice to see that they believe in me. The most important thing is that we are all there for each other this Vuelta.” Like a fresh-faced army recruit at boot camp – please sir, may I have another – Kuss was unwilling, to his credit, to deviate from the Jumbo/Visma script.
Jonas Vingegaard, who was a last minute addition to the Jumbo/Visma La Vuelta squad, seemed caught between supporting Kuss or going for stage victories. It was only after his win on stage 16 and his attack with Roglic on stage 17, where Kuss was dropped, that Vingegaard seemed to come to his senses, saying afterwards, “To be honest, I actually [hope] that he will keep the jersey. I would love to see Sepp winning this Vuelta.”
But the stickier problem within the team was with Primoz Roglič. As the designated leader going into La Vuelta, Roglič was the only one out of the Big Three that came away from la Vuelta with his expectations – a GC victory – unmet. While his comments after each stage were cryptic at times, they were also honest and suggested where things really stood within the team. “Sepp is the first guy I wish would win, but looking at myself, and my responsibilities… I’m here to race, do my best, and at the end the best one will win.” Which essentially means, I’m here to win this race if I can.
In the end, Kuss, Vingegaard, and Roglič performed like the Three Musketeers – all for one, one for all – and in doing so, upheld the virtues that fans expect of Jumbo/Visma. But the realization that anything less than a Sepp Kuss victory could have shattered their team ethos – Samen Winnen – came very late, almost too late, and that is worrisome.
There are many takeaways from this La Vuelta for Jumbo/Visma, but the most important one may be whether the team can stay “on brand” and ensure that riders uphold the team’s core values. With three Grand Tour winners now on the team, Jumbo/Visma has become a super power of sorts, and with that comes new opportunities, as well as new challenges.
