Sepp Kuss: Visma will ‘definitely miss’ Primoz Roglic, says GC ‘alter ego’ could reappear in 2024
Sepp Kuss has admitted that Visma-Lease a Bike will “definitely miss” Primoz Roglic in the 2024 campaign after the Slovenian’s off-season move to Bora-hansgrohe.
He leaves Visma-Lease a Bike as a Giro d’Italia winner and a three-time Vuelta a Espana champion, and he became the first Slovenian to win a Tour stage back in 2017, winning a further two in 2018 and 2020 respectively.
“I think we will definitely miss him [Roglic],” he said. “He always pushed the team to the level it’s been at the last few years.
“If you went to a race with Primoz, you were not guaranteed of the win, but you knew you were fighting for the win, and that’s something really unique.
“For me, now there’s more space to try for, do my own things. We’ll see how that is. I’m excited for it, but it’ll be different.”
What next for Kuss after ‘life-changing’ Vuelta victory?
Kuss also discussed his “alter ego” – ‘GC Kuss’, as social media implies – which first surged into the cycling world’s consciousness last year as he fought to keep the red jersey at the Vuelta.
“It’s always good to go into that alter ego every now and then,” Kuss said.
“It’s a nice name; a nice position to be in. We’ll see how often he shows up this next year. From this past year, good memories in that role.
He added: “It’s a nice confidence boost that I’m capable of being there in the Grand Tours and fighting for the win.
“I don’t feel any need to prove anything extra or shoot for something bigger and better. I just want to improve and just go into the races with more confidence, which I think is a big factor.”
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Looking ahead to this year’s Vuelta, which starts in Lisbon on August 17, Kuss said that he was looking forward to the mountainous course.
“It looks really tough,” he said. “A lot of really steep climbs; some long ones. Almost no flat. I think it’s a race that’s going to be really hard every single day. There’s going to be a lot of breakaway stages and uphill finishes.
“For me I really like the look of a lot of the stages and I think it’s a pretty well-designed route.”
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