After 10 stages, La Vuelta is still wide open for the GC contenders. While most everyone is still betting that the winner will be either Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) or Primož Roglič (Jumbo/Visma), there is talk of whether current GC leader Sepp Kuss (Jumbo/Visma) has a chance of beating the odds and pulling off a win.
Going into stage 11, Kuss has an advantage of 1:09″ on Evenepoel and 1:36″ on his teammate, Roglič – which isn’t bad at all – and with four mountain stages remaining, and no more time trials, it would appear that Kuss has a favorable route ahead of him. an advantage. But it’s not as easy as that. Kuss will not only need to be at his best, but he will need to adapt very quickly to his new role as GC leader and economize with his efforts. Keep in mind, it was mostly by circumstance rather than by design that Kuss rode his way into the red jersey on stage 6. It was a turn of events that surprised everyone. Unfortunately, learning how to be a GC leader takes time and doesn’t just happen by circumstance.
Five-time TdF winner Miguel Induráin believes Kuss has the physical ability, especially in the high mountains, but isn’t so sure if Kuss has developed the mental fortitude to handle everything that comes with being a leader. “You have to be mentally tough every day, with interviews, with the podium. Physically he’s strong, but to be a leader, you have to be mentality very strong as well.”
Kuss, himself, was pragmatic about where things stood after the stage 10 time trial, “It is still a nice lead, but a minute [was] also lost. There are still some very tough and beautiful stages to come. We will see.”
Remco Evenenpoel sees Kuss as a real threat, “I can probably take some time back on him on Tuesday [stage 10 time trial] but he’s one of the best climbers in the world.”
For the most part, Kuss has always worked in the high mountains for other GC leaders by setting a hard pace in the last kilometers before dropping off. Now that he’s a GC leader, he will need to contain his efforts until the right moment presents itself and then demonstrate that he can make the right move, or at least follow the moves of his GC rivals.
The stage 10 time trial was a leadership baptism of sorts for Kuss, who afterwards said, “I suffered. Normally I can ride a little more slowly during a time trial. This was a new experience.” The question now is whether Kuss can take this sort of “new experience” as a GC leader and apply it in the crucial stages to come.
