Sepp Kuss wins Vuelta a España with Kaden Groves taking sprint finish

  • Kuss the first American to win one of Grand Tours since 2013
  • Jumbo-Visma dominate with Jonas Vingegaard second

Sepp Kuss became the first American to win one of Europe’s Grand Tours since Chris Horner in 2013, arriving in Madrid on Sunday evening as champion of the 2023 Vuelta a España.

As the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider Kaden Groves won the Vuelta’s final sprint finish in the Spanish capital, Kuss’s Jumbo-Visma team took their third Grand Tour of the year, after winning the Giro d’Italia, through Primoz Roglic, and the Tour de France, through Jonas Vingegaard.

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Sepp Kuss set to win Vuelta a España as Wout Poels takes stage 20

  • American rider leads after final test on penultimate stage
  • Rider flanked by Vingegaard and Roglic at finish line

Sepp Kuss is set to win the 2023 Vuelta a España, the American’s first Grand Tour title, after successfully defending his slim overall lead in Saturday’s penultimate stage which was won by Wout Poels.

Kuss went into the penultimate stage of the race 17 seconds ahead of Jumbo-Visma teammate Jonas Vingegaard, with Primoz Roglic completing the team’s domination of the general classification in third place, and the three crossed the finish line together. Shortly before, Poels outsprinted Remco Evenepoel to claim the stage win, after both riders were part of an early breakaway group.

Jeremy Whittle’s report to follow …

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Vuelta a España: Kuss closes on glory as Dainese avoids crash to win stage 19

  • Kaden Groves involved in late crash on day for sprinters
  • Kuss relieved to avoid spill as race becomes ‘stressful’

Alberto Dainese of Team DSM-Firmenich narrowly avoided a massive crash in the final kilometre to sprint to victory in stage 19 of the Vuelta a España, while Sepp Kuss of Jumbo-Visma finished safely in the peloton to retain the overall lead.

As the Vuelta enters its home stretch, riders left the mountains behind for a flat 177.5km ride from La Bañeza to Íscar, speeding through countryside at 80km/h at one point. A breakaway group of four were caught with 20km to go before the teams set themselves up for the sprint, with Ineos Grenadiers, Movistar and Bahrain Victorious driving the bunch.

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Vuelta a España: Jumbo-Visma steady the ship for Sepp Kuss after storm

  • Vingegaard and Roglic support leader after prior attacks
  • Remco Evenepoel solos to spectacular third win of race

Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel claimed his third victory in this year’s Vuelta a España with a solo attack on a mountainous stage 18 and Jumbo-Visma’s Sepp Kuss moved a step closer to winning his first Grand Tour.

Evenepoel blasted out of a breakaway group on the first of two climbs of the Puerto de La Cruz de Linares late in the 179km ride from Pola de Allande and was in a class of his own. The peloton, featuring the Jumbo-Visma trio of Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic, finished nearly 10 minutes back, with Kuss emerging still in the maillot rojo after surviving the last big day in the mountains unscathed.

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Primoz Roglic climbs to Vuelta stage 17 win as Vingegaard cuts gap to Kuss

  • Roglic outguns teammate Vingegaard to take mountain stage
  • Sepp Kuss’ lead cut to eight seconds in Jumbo-Visma top three

Primoz Roglic won a gruelling mountain stage 17 of Vuelta a España ahead of his teammate Jonas Vingegaard, as their Jumbo-Visma colleague, Sepp Kuss, retained the overall leader’s jersey by eight seconds.

The 124.5km course started at Ribadesella and featured two category-one ascents before finishing through the clouds on Altu de l’Angliru, with Jumbo-Visma again showing strength to last the distance.

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