Sepp Kuss has become the first American to lead a Grand Tour since Lance Armstrong and the third in history to wear the red jersey of the Vuelta a España. Johan Bruyneel, on the YouTube channel “The Move,” analyzed the achievement of the Jumbo-Visma cyclist.
“I’m very impressed with him, how he manages to maintain such a high level. I think he has the highest level among the three Grand Tours. It’s hard to compare the Giro, the Tour, and the Vuelta, but he’s at a very high level.”
“I think it was a team goal to try and give the leadership to Kuss as a reward for all the work he’s been doing in recent years,” Bruyneel said, understanding the significance of the American’s contributions in the Jumbo-Visma team over the past seasons.
Sepp Kuss isn’t mentally prepared to be a leader
He also argues that Kuss isn’t a cyclist mentally prepared to lead a team but acknowledges that the situation can change with the red jersey: “Let’s see now that he’s leading the race. It’s a long way to Madrid, and he’s more than 2 minutes ahead of the other cyclists in the overall. I think Kuss doesn’t have, and doesn’t want to have, the attitude, the mentality of a leader.”
Watch the video with the full interview: