Sepp Kuss makes history

American's ascension to Grand Tour winner status causes Jumbo-Visma headaches

- Vern Pitt

American Sepp Kuss rode his Jumbo-Visma team into the A history books on Sunday, giving his Dutch squad a clean sweep of both the Vuelta a España podium and wins in all three Grand Tours this year. No squad has ever done it before.

But before the celebrations had even begun the headaches for Jumbo-Visma's management from such a victory were already coming into focus. How does the world's most dominant team keep all its Grand Tour winners on board and happy?

Not that Kuss was thinking about any of that on Sunday. "When I woke up I thought I was dreaming," Kuss told Spanish television before the final day's race into Madrid, won by Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck).

As well he might be. The Colorado native is the first American to win a Grand Tour since Chris Horner won the Vuelta in 2013. No American has won a Monument or World Championship since then.

Before Horner, the last American Grand Tour win was Greg LeMond at the Tour de France in 1990.

Sepp's super season

Kuss's achievement was made more remarkable by the Vuelta being the third Grand Tour he has completed this season. The Jumbo-Visma rider played the dutiful role of super-domestique for both Primož Roglič in his Giro d'Italia victory and Jonas Vingegaard as he blitzed his way to a second Tour de France title.

Many in the US cycling scene hope that Kuss's victory will spark a renewed interest in the sport, which has yet to fully recover from the downfall of the legend of Lance Armstrong in the American popular memory.

The 29-year-old, who has spent much of his career carving a reputation as a super-domestique, is well placed to be at the vanguard of an uplift in the sport given his amiable nature, his easy smile and his exemplary level of self-sacrifice. He is something of a media dream who has the ability to reach beyond the sport's core fanbase.