Sepp Kuss: “It’s great to win, but I feel almost the same when a teammate wins”

How was the start of the season?

It’s a little different from the last few years after winning the Vuelta. I go into races with more confidence. Knowing that I have already won the Vuelta gives me more peace of mind, more strength to face the races with enthusiasm and efficiency.

The Tour and the Vuelta appear on your calendar, in what role will you go to the Spanish round?

I want to defend the title at the Vuelta, I will have the freedom card, but if I have to work for Jonas Vingegaard I won’t mind either. For me it is a pleasure to work for him or for other colleagues. He and I make a good tandem in the races and in the mountains; And if the team thinks it’s okay to use the same option for the Vuelta, that’s perfect for me.

But will he be too excited to maintain his Vuelta victory?

Yes, of course, for me it will be special to try to win again and go to the Vuelta as the defending champion.

Did your life change much after winning the Vuelta?

Yes quite a bit. After that I had to attend commitments to sponsors and people knew me better, but for me as a cyclist it didn’t mean much change. Now I have more confidence and I realize that I can win very important things.

The peloton will have more control over him and it will not be easy for him to make attacks like the one at Javalambre that opened the doors to the Vuelta.

Yes, maybe I have more respect for the peloton. I see this as something positive and it always helps to gain the respect of your rivals and the peloton. It’s true that it’s not that easy to attack this way. I can no longer run like I did in the Vuelta, get into the breakaway, without becoming a danger to the most important runners in the grand tours.

How did the internal struggle between you, Vingegaard and Roglic work out within the team?

usually It’s a situation that we’ve never experienced in the team and never experienced in cycling, with three riders from the same team in the first three places in a great race and someone who likes to be with me as leader. It was a complicated situation and in the end it was well chosen and my position in the general classification was respected.

And after a few months, the team was rewarded for their dedication and success with the renewal.

I’m also happy with the team, very calm. For me it’s like being at home and it’s the most important thing for me to continue growing. There is a good relationship between the runners and the staff and now I don’t see myself on any other team.

You went from being a luxury gregarious to a great champion.

I want to have both titles, because I also want to work as a gregarious. In this team we have great cyclists and it means a lot to me to win with it and help it continue to grow, not only in the Tour, but in other races. It’s great to win, but I feel almost the same when a teammate wins.

After the Vuelta he said that the difference between a good cyclist and a champion is in the mentality.

Yes. My form in the big three of 2023 is the same. The most important thing is the confidence and confidence of being a winner from the gregarious position in the Vuelta. In the Vuelta I have to know how to suffer, I have no reason not to suffer in the mountains, I have to go every second and get used to the pressure. I realized that being a leader is more mental than physical.

Do you want to live with pressure?

Yes, in the Vuelta I didn’t feel as much pressure as it seemed. It is different. It’s a different mental load.

You are a beloved runner, do you notice the love of the fans?

I think I am quite close to the beginner, because in the end cycling is a relatively simple sport and there are many people who practice cycling who know how to suffer in the mountains and this suffering is the same for everyone. For me it is important to be close to people who love cycling.

If you weren’t a cyclist, what would you be doing?

Something sports-related, maybe I’ll ski, but I’m not in the body for cross-country skiing either.

What did cross-country skiing give you as a kid, the capacity for suffering?

Yes, in cross-country skiing you have to know how to suffer. You have very concentrated moments of suffering where your whole body hurts, where the suffering is brutal. Unlike cycling, in skiing you are always working hard, you have double training, early in the morning, at night and you have to make sacrifices. Also, the season is very short.

Where do you think you need to improve as a cyclist?

Certainly in the time trial, in different race situations as well. Now in the race there are complicated situations. There are attacks 80 kilometers from the finish line and you have to be ready for everything. Learn how to position yourself. Stages are very stressful. I should be a more well-rounded runner, rather than a climber.

It says the attack at 80 kilometers because of Pogacar’s attack on Strade Bianche, who lives just in front.

I don’t have the best day. By that time I had suffered enough and was not focused on following him. It was an awesome attack. The rest of the favorites went into the race knowing they had to fight to finish second.

At the beginning of the year, his teammate Vingegaard followed up on 2023’s excellent performance.

It is brutal, from the television you can see it and it seems that he is doing one of his training sessions and the others are suffering, but I am convinced that in the Tour everything will be more equal.

What would you highlight about Jonas?

He is very hardworking and a family man. Because of this, he is more mature because outside of cycling he has a lot of responsibility towards his daughter. And he is a good man. Very simple and with the people he knows, friendly and kind.

How did you and the team experience the departure of Primoz Roglic?

It’s a shame for the team. He’s a great runner who doesn’t go away easily because he’s so valuable. For him it was another chance and he took the risk of going to another team.

Positive dynamics helped.

Yes. It is important to have a winning culture and as a team we have a good winning streak.

What do you think of the Volta route this year?

I like that very much. It took the mid-mountain ambush stage to see something different, because with high finishes you always see the same result. In Catalonia there are so many roads and climbs that it is difficult to make a route that everyone likes, but as soon as I saw this guy I liked it, especially the Berguedà stage, which will give an extra boost to the race.

Where do you want to do well this year?

I want to win a stage in the Volta or in the general classification, because for me this is a very special race. I want to do the spring races well to gain more confidence. It’s usually not my best time of year and I want to improve so I’m not always a summer runner. I also want to know what I can do in the Tour, because this year is a good tour for me and I can play my role for Jonas and give me many opportunities and in the Vuelta like last year.

Can you imagine that, like in the Vuelta, the events of the race put you in the lead of the Tour and you win?

I had no expectations, I knew how the Tour was going. It’s very hard to win. The tension is ten times higher than in other races and that’s not good for me. But this year there will be many mountains and it will be fine for me. If I have a good Tour, it means I can take another step in the Vuelta and as a cyclist.

In the peloton, the North American cyclists shine again, you, now with your partner Matteo Jorgenson, Brandon McNulty…

We live in a good time and I hope that there are important careers in the United States, because this is the most important thing for new talents to develop. We must take advantage of the moment in cycling in North America, so that talent can hone its skills and find good riders who can go to races like the Tour of Utah or the Tour of California and make the jump to Europe.

This jump to Europe, how did you experience it a few years ago?

This is not a radical change. He’s used to touring Europe since he started racing mountain bikes. Europe is different. For my first two years I lived in Girona. In the future I see myself living here. I like the lifestyle, it’s very simple, the comfort, the food, the people are friendly and there is a little bit of everything. The sea and mountains are close.

You talk about food, what are your favorite foods?

It depends on my current craving, I like tripe, sausages from Catalonia, I love sausage with beans or a good entrecôte.

Do you think we live in one of the best times for cycling?

Yes, because there are very attacking cyclists, who have an incredible level and are not afraid to attack and make the races interesting, which is also a suffering because every race is at your hardest. For fans, it’s a great time with all the current talents, and each has its own characteristics.