Sepp Kuss: Vuelta winner is a party monster with German roots – former teammates celebrate Jumbo star as a ‘beast’ with no ego

One thing is certain: “Seb will celebrate harder than anyone else in the Jumbo team, and no one will drink more beer at the winner’s party” – with this giving Britton his first not-so-subtle look at his former gentleman co-driver during their two years together in the American Rally Bike race team. The Canadian was the team leader when the 22-year-old from Colorado joined the race team in May 2016.

In an interview with Eurosport, Breton recalls their first few weeks together: “He was one of the few who could outpace me in training and he is one of the most talented riders I have seen. In the first race in Canada, the Tour de Pius won the first mountain stage as a soloist And I said to myself: Who is this man?

Adam de Vos, who was also a Raleigh professional in 2016/17, highlights Kos’s character: “Of course he was talented, but above all he was incredibly likable, and he was not selfish at all – as is the case now with Jumbo. He had no ego.” Everything “The most positive thing you can say about someone applies to them,” enthuses the former Canadian champion.

He can also celebrate successes: “Did you see him on the catwalk with champagne? [nach dem Sieg auf der 6. Vuelta-Etappe]? “Deep down, Britton reveals, he’s still the kid from college who knows how to party.” “We had wild parties together,” De Vos confirms with a laugh. “We won a lot of races, especially in 2017, and there were lovely evenings afterwards. I also remember our races in Italy at the end of the season, and there was a great deal of drunken Sprits.” …!”

Britton says the fact that her teammate moved to the Jumbo Racing team for the 2018 season came as a surprise at the time: “He signed there not because of his results, but more in terms of his potential. Because in 2017 he was very good, but not in a way that deserved a WorldTour contract.”

A somewhat mixed start to 2018 was followed by a breakthrough victory at the Tour of Utah in August, which was rewarded with a Vuelta start as his first of twelve Grand Tours. He arrived in Madrid in 65th place and no one expected him to be on top of the podium there five years later.

But Britton is categorical about any doubts about Koss’ rise: “He’s a monster that would have nothing to do with steroids – simply because he doesn’t need it with his talent.”

One of Kuss’s lesser-known qualities is his knowledge of the German language, as the former cross-country skier (his father was the U.S. national coach) and mountain biker has roots in several European countries; In addition to Italy and Slovenia, there is a family that revealed his connections to Germany, as he once called “Cyclingpub”: “I learned German when I was really young. My mother’s family is German and she always spoke to me in German when I was young and I had German and Spanish at school as well.” But he is no longer in university.

“Thank you for your support on every stage, on every climb, on every finish – you heard my name in the mountains, in every corner of Spain, you gave me so much love and helped me overcome so many things in this Vuelta: thank you very much. So much!”