Sepp Kuss is set to win the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, the American’s first Grand Tour title, after efficiently defending his slim general lead in Saturday’s penultimate stage which was received by Wout Poels.
Kuss went into the penultimate stage of the race 17 seconds forward of Jumbo-Visma staff mate Jonas Vingegaard, with Primoz Roglic finishing the staff’s domination of the final classification in third place, and the three crossed the end line collectively.
Wout Poels outsprinted Remco Evenepoel to assert the stage win, after each riders had been a part of an early breakaway group.
With the Jumbo-Visma staff completely satisfied to sit down again and defend their high three locations general, a 31-man breakaway group on the opening climb led by final 12 months’s Vuelta winner Evenepoel was allowed to remain away and prolong its hole.
The race went precisely to plan, as far as Jumbo-Visma had been involved.
“It was perfectly in control thanks to the guys in the beginning. Robert (Gesink) and Dylan (Van Baarle) were pulling for 90 per cent of the stage, it was a long hard day and they were out there all day, they were amazing,” Kuss mentioned after the race.
Stage 20 was the longest of this 12 months’s race, a 208 kilometre hilly trip from Manzanares El Real to Guadarrama. While not one of the ascents had been above class three, the riders did face 10 climbs earlier than the ultimate flat eight kilometres.
Evenepoel, whose basic classification hopes evaporated on stage 13 the place he misplaced greater than 27 minutes on the leaders, appeared poised to win his fourth stage of this 12 months’s Vuelta.
The Belgian had three Soudal Quick-Step teammates alongside him for many of the race.
While Jumbo-Visma cruised alongside to securely information the peloton, the breakaway was pushed by Quick-Step. They elevated the tempo within the last 50 kilometres, dropping riders alongside the way in which.
The last climb noticed Poels try to get away from the remainder and it regarded like Evenepoel’s race was over, however he rallied to rejoin the Dutchman together with three different riders.
But Poels put in a last-chance assault simply earlier than the ultimate nook to get forward of Evenepoel and held on to beat him within the last dash, with Pelayo Sanchez ending third. More than 10 minutes later the Jumbo-Visma trio strolled to the end line.
A beaming Kuss was flanked by this 12 months’s Tour de France winner Vingegaard and Giro d’Italia winner Roglic, with the staff set to make historical past by changing into the primary to win all three Grand Tours in a single season – and with three completely different riders.
Kuss helped each riders to these victories, however in Spain, unexpectedly, it was the domestique’s time to shine and the 29-year-old took over as chief after stage eight.
😱 ¡Emoción hasta el last! Tras 200 km, 5 se han jugado la victoria de la etapa. 🔥 ¡Revive el ÚLTIMO KM!
😱 Excitement till the very finish! After 200km, it got here right down to a bunch of 5️⃣ to struggle for victory! Watch the LAST KM! 🔥#LaVuelta23 #CarrefourconLaVuelta23 @carrefourES pic.twitter.com/Ra9sXVgXuD
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 16, 2023
