Teams & Riders Sepp Kuss is the next Sepp Kuss thread

[Libertine Seguros]

Who's up for a group hug? I know we're all excited to see Sepp Kuss win the Vuelta, right?
Come on Libertine, time to turn that frown upside down!

Sure, let's have a group hug. It seems that they are the most important thing in the sport now, otherwise why would social media have got so upset about a race breaking out in their cycling coverage?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Now it has been joked about on various social media (as written, Roglic has a long-term contact from which it will be extremely expensive to wring him out), and here Arensman was mentioned as part of the exchange. But is only on a joke basis. Not happening.

A lot of it is wishful thinking from:

a) fans of other teams who wish to have a strong leader and hope that with the debacle in week 3 of this Vuelta that Roglič might suddenly become available for their favourite team to snap up, which would make him easily the most proven available leader on the market

b) fans of Roglič who are angered at the way he has been treated, by either Jumbo management or Jonas Vingegaard - or both - and want him to go elsewhere and make them regret this perceived slight.

 

[dobrien]

Sure, let's have a group hug. It seems that they are the most important thing in the sport now, otherwise why would social media have got so upset about a race breaking out in their cycling coverage?

Please get help.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Please get help.

Again: there were people on Benji's comments pages saying with pride that they'd been hunting down any and all social media accounts they could find of people related to Jumbo-Visma on Wednesday and sending them abuse because of their treatment of Sepp Kuss. Even soigneurs, masseurs, cooks who have absolutely zero to do with on-bike decision making.

I post on the Cyclingnews forum that I think Sepp Kuss is boring.

 

[topcat]

Sure, let's have a group hug. It seems that they are the most important thing in the sport now, otherwise why would social media have got so upset about a race breaking out in their cycling coverage?

Serious question: wouldn’t you prefer to hug Kuss after his win than Horner after his win? Both left a bad taste but Kuss just looks more of the hugging kind.

 

[Unchained]

Sure, let's have a group hug. It seems that they are the most important thing in the sport now, otherwise why would social media have got so upset about a race breaking out in their cycling coverage?

I sort of get you being flustered that the hard scrabble stories of yesteryear, working class guy, gets on a bike, brutal training and racing in sleet, rain,cold horrible conditions and now you get a skinny guy w a plush team bus and a nutritionist and a heart rate device and power meter telling him to go easy and instead of 6 hours on the bike, he does some yoga and mindfulness. Can't you let America, Americans be happy? I personally shed a tear of joy, knowing how hard USA Cycling and gravel racing are working so that the United States never has another champion.. Hell had Sepp Kuss not delivered the goods I might have to watch Ryder Cup golf to see any national pride..So if you could, this one time, be happy for the underdog, he really is one. Even Jumbo got in touch with their softer selves and counselling with the other 2 red meat eating musketeers allowed them to refrain for a few days and allowed a lesser athlete to have a moment in the sun..

 

[Zoetemelk-fan]

Sidenote: is it just me or does it seem like, because he lives and works in an environment of non-native speakers, Sepp is struggling more and more to speak English?

It's well in line with his Spanish has improved though the years, in fact quite well His second homeland.
(now he just needs to do 'a Tschmill' and stay in his winning bastion post career for good)

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Serious question: wouldn’t you prefer to hug Kuss after his win than Horner after his win? Both left a bad taste but Kuss just looks more of the hugging kind.

Definitely he seems like a nicer guy than Horner and he seems like much more of the hugging kind.

I sort of get you being flustered that the hard scrabble stories of yesteryear, working class guy, gets on a bike, brutal training and racing in sleet, rain,cold horrible conditions and now you get a skinny guy w a plush team bus and a nutritionist and a heart rate device and power meter telling him to go easy and instead of 6 hours on the bike, he does some yoga and mindfulness. Can't you let America, Americans be happy? I personally shed a tear of joy, knowing how hard USA Cycling and gravel racing are working so that the United States never has another champion.. Hell had Sepp Kuss not delivered the goods I might have to watch Ryder Cup golf to see any national pride..So if you could, this one time, be happy for the underdog, he really is one. Even Jumbo got in touch with their softer selves and counselling with the other 2 red meat eating musketeers allowed them to refrain for a few days and allowed a lesser athlete to have a moment in the sun..

I really have trouble seeing somebody riding for Jumbo-Visma as the underdog, I'm afraid. Especially when he has been one of the main parts of their domination.

I also find it hard to view it as truly an underdog triumph when it's clear he's triumphed because the team brass have backed down in the face of media and social media backlash to allow him to. It makes it feel like the race doesn't matter, like it's handed out on the basis of a popularity contest. I feel that the 2023 Vuelta has been an absolute disgrace to the sport for a multitude of reasons, and would do even without my personal dislike of the winner.

I also really have a problem with nationalism and it causes me to view its distant relatives patriotism and jingoism with a great deal of suspicion, I'm afraid, which also colours the way I view some of the aggressive pro-Kuss media campaign we've been seeing this past few days.

 

[zlev11]

Please get help.

lol. Libertine needs help because they *gasp* wanted to see some racing during a bike race?

 

[zlev11]

Official merch

https://twitter.com/x/status/1702806652486107230

View: https://twitter.com/naywilliams/status/1702806652486107230

man, Americans love making cringe t-shirts

 

[Blanco]

Stars align in this Vuelta for Sepp.
He had the legs to hang on until decision is made, so chapeau!
He had the luck of having two equally strong leaders in the team. If one of them was weaker than the other, Sepp doesn't win.

 

[jmdirt]

Definitely he seems like a nicer guy than Horner and he seems like much more of the hugging kind.

I really have trouble seeing somebody riding for Jumbo-Visma as the underdog, I'm afraid. Especially when he has been one of the main parts of their domination.

I also find it hard to view it as truly an underdog triumph when it's clear he's triumphed because the team brass have backed down in the face of media and social media backlash to allow him to. It makes it feel like the race doesn't matter, like it's handed out on the basis of a popularity contest. I feel that the 2023 Vuelta has been an absolute disgrace to the sport for a multitude of reasons, and would do even without my personal dislike of the winner.

I also really have a problem with nationalism and it causes me to view its distant relatives patriotism and jingoism with a great deal of suspicion, I'm afraid, which also colours the way I view some of the aggressive pro-Kuss media campaign we've been seeing this past few days.

I was going to ignore you for a while, but you've forced my hand:

What is wrong with cheering for an athlete from your own country, especially when there aren't a lot of opportunities to do so?! I cheer for Sepp, Matteo (I've actually talked with him a few times), Pow, B Mc, Magnum, etc., but I also cheer for MvdP. Wout, Remco, Pog, Primo, Ganna, anyone who wins from a break (especially a solo), and more. Is cheering for people from my country the evil that is destroying the world?!

Do you really think that there is enough USA pressure to influence cycling?!

I hope that you are just still being disingenuous and overly dramatic as part of you schtick.

 

[Unchained]

Definitely he seems like a nicer guy than Horner and he seems like much more of the hugging kind.

I really have trouble seeing somebody riding for Jumbo-Visma as the underdog, I'm afraid. Especially when he has been one of the main parts of their domination.

I also find it hard to view it as truly an underdog triumph when it's clear he's triumphed because the team brass have backed down in the face of media and social media backlash to allow him to. It makes it feel like the race doesn't matter, like it's handed out on the basis of a popularity contest. I feel that the 2023 Vuelta has been an absolute disgrace to the sport for a multitude of reasons, and would do even without my personal dislike of the winner.

I also really have a problem with nationalism and it causes me to view its distant relatives patriotism and jingoism with a great deal of suspicion, I'm afraid, which also colours the way I view some of the aggressive pro-Kuss media campaign we've been seeing this past few days.

Weird thing about conspiracy theories, good ones, when they really hit need facts and a bunch of coordination between parties. A month ago when the Vuelta started, nobody here or anywhere picked Sepp Kuss as the winner, haven't asked him, but I will bet everything that Kuss didn't think he was going to be the victor.
Early big fat breakaway, all the pedigrees looking at each other, ignoring the water boy and one thing led to another and here we are.
To think that the folks over at big evil Jumbo had any hand in any of this is a stretch, in my opinion they still didn't know what they were doing up until a few days ago when Jonas and Roglic told the director " I got this, just give me the nod and I will win".
Horner has been a nice guy, humble, since he had a ponytail when he was 17,18 years old driving a piece of sh-t Firebird and coming to training races and rides and destroying people.
Decades on he started riding for Airgas, saw him at a race,same guy,hand out ,easy smile and always sincere.. saw him after, his lungs still malfunctioning and he was riding for a team dedicated to Lupus awareness, he has always been a gentleman for decades.. that includes from being a domestic standout to during and after signing w European teams.. and as far as resume, and maturity and experience.. Horner has basically seen everything as a worker and a winner.
This stuck with me that Rui Costa got another excellent result again this week, ex teammate of Chris Horner.
I watch his YouTube channel because it's some of the most entertaining of what is mostly bad bike racing channels, not saying that he is good or his take on the races but it's what we got. PS Horner had the short lived nickname of Hippy.
To imply that Horner is a *** from his media self would be a mistake.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I was going to ignore you for a while, but you've forced my hand:

What is wrong with cheering for an athlete from your own country, especially when there aren't a lot of opportunities to do so?! I cheer for Sepp, Matteo (I've actually talked with him a few times), Pow, B Mc, Magnum, etc., but I also cheer for MvdP. Wout, Remco, Pog, Primo, Ganna, anyone who wins from a break (especially a solo), and more. Is cheering for people from my country the evil that is destroying the world?!

Do you really think that there is enough USA pressure to influence cycling?!

I hope that you are just still being disingenuous and overly dramatic as part of you schtick.

You misconstrue me. I said that I have a problem with nationalism, which causes me to view patriotism and jingoism with suspicion.

I feel this miscommunicatino is due to cultural differences between Europe and the US. During the Maryland Classic the other week, Jose Been and Jip van den Bos were talking about how quaint it seems to have the national anthem played before races and to see all the national flags waving outside of houses, because it's something that you just don't tend to see in Europe. Much of Europe has a complex and very fraught relationship with national pride and the kind of parties that appeal to the kind of imagery and overuse of national symbols that is fairly standard and not in any way politically charged in the USA is reserved primarily for far right type groups in Europe.

But because of this - and especially in countries which either have pasts where nationalist parties or dictators held office, or where these parties have made considerable electoral gains - excessive displays of patriotism can be seen in some sections of the population as being vulgar or tacky, or, worse, something to be wary of.

This is something which is ingrained for me, and so I was saying that I feel a lot of the aggressive pro-Kuss media campaign coming from a patriotic bias is leading me to view that section of it more negatively than it is likely intended.

That said, I do believe that if Vingegaard was the American and Kuss the Dane, this story would have played out differently in the media. I just don't think JV, Horner, Vande Velde, Bobke and co would have cared enough about the domestique getting his day in the sun if he was some random guy from Denmark.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

man, Americans love making cringe t-shirts

This is a true statement.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

You misconstrue me. I said that I have a problem with nationalism, which causes me to view patriotism and jingoism with suspicion.

I feel this miscommunicatino is due to cultural differences between Europe and the US. During the Maryland Classic the other week, Jose Been and Jip van den Bos were talking about how quaint it seems to have the national anthem played before races and to see all the national flags waving outside of houses, because it's something that you just don't tend to see in Europe. Much of Europe has a complex and very fraught relationship with national pride and the kind of parties that appeal to the kind of imagery and overuse of national symbols that is fairly standard and not in any way politically charged in the USA is reserved primarily for far right type groups in Europe.

But because of this - and especially in countries which either have pasts where nationalist parties or dictators held office, or where these parties have made considerable electoral gains - excessive displays of patriotism can be seen in some sections of the population as being vulgar or tacky, or, worse, something to be wary of.

This is something which is ingrained for me, and so I was saying that I feel a lot of the aggressive pro-Kuss media campaign coming from a patriotic bias is leading me to view that section of it more negatively than it is likely intended.

That said, I do believe that if Vingegaard was the American and Kuss the Dane, this story would have played out differently in the media. I just don't think JV, Horner, Vande Velde, Bobke and co would have cared enough about the domestique getting his day in the sun if he was some random guy from Denmark.

Yeah, I can definitely understand this. Hard to argue against it, tbh.

 

[dennisdy]

In an interview after the race today Kuss said that he told Roglic and Vingegaard to go when he couldn't match them on Angliru. He said that he was surprised to find out that he was still the leader. I don't think that he was fibbing about this. You can make up your own mind:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRtAYqzKBiU

 

[Rob5091]

"Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel" - but seriously, no human being that has ever lived, is half as nice as Kuss is made out to be. If this was a comic book story for under 10s then I get it, but are n't we supposed to be adults here?
Never has so much wool been tried to be pulled over the public's eyes.

 

[AmRacer]

Hadn't Remco cracked, Kuss wouldn't have won the Vuelta.

 

[theyoungest]

Definitely he seems like a nicer guy than Horner and he seems like much more of the hugging kind.

I really have trouble seeing somebody riding for Jumbo-Visma as the underdog, I'm afraid. Especially when he has been one of the main parts of their domination.

I also find it hard to view it as truly an underdog triumph when it's clear he's triumphed because the team brass have backed down in the face of media and social media backlash to allow him to. It makes it feel like the race doesn't matter, like it's handed out on the basis of a popularity contest. I feel that the 2023 Vuelta has been an absolute disgrace to the sport for a multitude of reasons, and would do even without my personal dislike of the winner.

I also really have a problem with nationalism and it causes me to view its distant relatives patriotism and jingoism with a great deal of suspicion, I'm afraid, which also colours the way I view some of the aggressive pro-Kuss media campaign we've been seeing this past few days.

I agree with most of this. It does feel like the Vuelta has now been decided as some sort of popularity contest. I think Jumbo will think twice next time about using Kuss as a pawn in the tactical play in the Tour for instance, because should he somehow end up in the yellow jersey they must end the race there and then, and their stronger leaders are henceforth to be caged. Or else the wrath of America will fall upon them.

 

[dazaau]

Hadn't Remco cracked, Kuss wouldn't have won the Vuelta.

Can't be sure about that.

I am sure if QS had listened to roglic they wouldn't have let kuss in a strong group get 6+ minutes up the road... And then kuss would not have won the vuelta madness lol.

Congrats to Kuss. Third grand tour of the year and flying.

 

[Pippo_San]

I keep on wondering what would've happened if Sepp lost the Roja to Vingo on the Angliru.
Even for just 1 second.

Anyway that's how the story goes. Deserved winner, and a crowd favourite nonetheless.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I keep on wondering what would've happened if Sepp lost the Roja to Vingo on the Angliru.
Even for just 1 second.

Then it would probably have lead to a big discussion about Vingegaard only leading the race due to bonus seconds and what not.

 

[RedheadDane]

I keep on wondering what would've happened if Sepp lost the Roja to Vingo on the Angliru.
Even for just 1 second.

Anyway that's how the story goes. Deserved winner, and a crowd favourite nonetheless.

What I wonder is, what would have happened if the time-gaps on Angliru had been as it was, but Vingegaard had won the stage, and Kuss and lost the sprint for 3rd?
I know there's a bit of a joke that Math isn't my strength, but if Vingegaard had won the stage, he'd have gotten 4 bonus seconds more, and if Kuss had lost the sprint for 3rd, he'd have gotten 4 bonus seconds fewer, after the stage there were 8 seconds between them in the GC.
I suppose the 100ds from the ITT would have come in play.

 

[tobydawq]

What I wonder is, what would have happened if the time-gaps on Angliru had been as it was, but Vingegaard had won the stage, and Kuss and lost the sprint for 3rd?
I know there's a bit of a joke that Math isn't my strength, but if Vingegaard had won the stage, he'd have gotten 4 bonus seconds more, and if Kuss had lost the sprint for 3rd, he'd have gotten 4 bonus seconds fewer, after the stage there were 8 seconds between them in the GC.
I suppose the 100ds from the ITT would have come in play.

You got that one right.