Sepp Kuss experienced the most incredible three weeks of his life during the Vuelta a España, culminating in the overall victory. With that, stories about his career and signing with Jumbo-Visma gained prominence.
The partnership between Jumbo-Visma and Kuss began in 2017 during the Tour of California: “I had some good performances, and during the party at the hotel afterward, Grischa Niermann came up to me. I don’t remember what we talked about anymore, but it gave me a good feeling,” the athlete said on the Life in the Peloton podcast.
Not long after, Kuss met the other sports directors of Jumbo-Visma online. “There was interest from other teams, but not in the same way as Jumbo-Visma. It was a big step because I had only raced a few times in Europe. I wanted to be in an environment that made me comfortable and where I could learn the sport.”
At that time, Kuss was still at the University of Boulder. When he had to take his test for Jumbo-Visma, he was already in his final year.
“I was still doing normal college stuff. The night before the test, I went to a friend’s house, and we played beer pong, haha. In my head, I didn’t want to make it bigger than necessary. If I had it in me, I didn’t necessarily need to be in bed by nine o’clock. And in the end, the test went well, haha.”
For the athlete, working at Jumbo-Visma has been a positive experience.
“Dutch people are very direct. In the United States, sometimes, they beat around the bush, but in the Netherlands, they say, ‘You did this and that wrong, do better next time.’ That’s why you don’t take it personally. I was completely open to it and asked the silliest questions and made the silliest mistakes, but I learned very quickly from my mistakes that way.”