Take2 weeks ago
Kuss has drawn his own line: if Team Visma | Lease a Bike isn't in GC contention at the halfway point of the Vuelta a España 2026, he pivots fully to stage hunting — and he's already decided that's the better outcome anyway.
«A top 10 spot in the general classification matters less to me than a stage win,» Kuss said ahead of the race, adding that «after the first half of the race, we will assess our position in the general classification as a team, and from there we will look for our opportunities.» That's a pre-committed conditional, not a fallback — built on the reality that he arrives at the Vuelta with 54 race days already in his legs after finishing 13th at both the Giro d'Italia 2026 and Tour de France 2026. With Wout van Aert, Matthew Brennan, Ben Tulett, and Jørgen Nordhagen all on the same roster, Team Visma | Lease a Bike has the firepower to go stage-hunting on multiple fronts — and Kuss is framing his GC ambitions accordingly.
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