2023-09-12 23:14:00
The team dedicated the fourth jumbo triumph on the Tour of Spain, which Tour dominator Jonas Vingegaard achieved with a renewed demonstration of power at the mountain finish in Bejes, to his colleague who had an accident.
“This is for Nathan,” wrote the Jumbo-Visma team on “X” following Vingegaard clinched his second stage victory as a soloist just four days following his gala at the Col du Tourmalet. “I wanted to win today for my best friend,” said the 26-year-old following his triumph in an interview with Eurosport: “I’m just happy to have won today.”
Vingegaard attacks Kuss
However, the fact that Vingegaard was not only able to win the stage, but also launched an effective attack on Sepp Kuss at the steep mountain finish in northern Spain, caused astonishment. Especially because no other driver launched an attack.
“You might have just had a quiet day and brought Kuss to the finish in peace,” wondered Eurosport expert Jens Voigt in the live commentary: “Nobody dares to attack Kuss – except his own teammates.”
Brutal attack on the mountain: Vingegaard with boss announcement in Bejes
Vingegaard took a kiss from the overall leader in 1:15 minutes, including the bonus seconds, and reduced the gap in the classification to a meager 29 seconds. A real boss announcement to the noble helper, who has been dreaming of his first triumph on a Grand Tour for a week and a half, but received his first resounding slap in the face on Tuesday.
On the rest day, Voigt had expected in an exclusive interview with Eurosport.de that the loyal American, who had carried the two superstars Primoz Roglic and Vingegaard to numerous Grand Tour triumphs in recent years, would have his moment in the spotlight this time .
Kuss explains: “Plan has changed”
“I said that I wouldn’t consider it humanly explainable if they overthrew Kuss within their own team,” he confirmed on Tuesday during the stage. Eurosport expert Robert Bengsch would also have “thought it would be good if they reward a kiss.” Not least because Vingegaard also “benefited significantly from Kuss” on the previous tour of France.
Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss hug each other deeply
Photo credit: Image
But those responsible in the Dutch team seem to have a different outcome in mind – or do they? “The plan has changed a bit,” said Kuss, offering an insight into the team strategy following the race.
Shortly before the final part of the climb to Bejes, Vingegaard asked over the radio whether he might attack. Apparently the two-time Tour winner received permission – and shot away, similar to the Tourmalet. “He had an incredibly strong climb, he mightn’t be stopped,” Kuss had to admit.
As usual, the 28-year-old presented himself as a team player and was happy regarding the next “great day for the team”.
Vuelta general classification following stage 16
PlatzNameOil1.S. Rev57:18:10 Std.2.J. Vingegaard+0:29 Min3.P. Roglic+1:33 Min4.J. Flow+2:33 Min5.E. More+3:02 Min
Jumbo continues to invoke unity
Kuss then congratulated his captain fairly at the finish, congratulating the Dane with a quick pat on the helmet and a warm hug. Media-effective unity or serious joy? The noble helper back in the role of the first well-wisher? On his second day of rest in red, he had already indicated that he did not expect that he would simply be allowed to drive to victory. In cycling, as Kuss knows, there are no gifts.
He immediately made it clear – albeit in his usual reserved manner – that the man from Colorado, who has been at the top of the rankings since the eighth stage, does not want to give up without a fight.
“I knew that this kind of finish would be difficult for me,” said Kuss. The steep climb to Bejes was too explosive for him. He was correspondingly satisfied with his performance on Tuesday, when he finished in tenth place, just four seconds behind co-captain Roglic.
Valter: “We had to win this stage for Nathan”
Jumbo fans without understanding
At the next endurance test on Wednesday, the mountain finish up to the Alto de l’Angliru with gradients of up to 24 percent (live on TV on Eurosport 1 and at discovery+), but it’s “a completely different story”: “The legs are still good and I’m looking forward to it.” From Kuss’ mouth, it almost seems like a declaration of war.
But Vingegaard’s recent exclamation mark has probably straightened out the balance of power in the team. “I’m afraid they’ve made the decision within the team: They don’t trust Kuss to keep it that way over the next two tough days. I think they actually want to hand it over to Roglic or Vingegaard,” Eurosport expert Voigt analyzed and described Attacking the overall leader as “completely unnecessary”.
Jonas Vingegaard
Fotocredit: Eurosport
Voigt is by no means alone in his opinion. There was hardly any euphoria on Jumbo-Visma’s “X” account following Vingegaard’s triumph. On the contrary: The fans sometimes sharply criticized the decision to shake Kuss’ leadership jersey from within their own stable and shot once morest the reigning tour winner. Vingegaard was even named the “villain” of the cycling scene.
Best jumbo news of the evening
Before the 16th stage, he, in turn, had tactically astutely reported that he had suffered from worse stomach problems in the first week than he initially admitted. But now he is back to full strength. A clear message for the final week, which he underlined right at the start with his new gala. Vingegaard left it open as to whether he would launch the next attack on the red jersey on Wednesday, but instead avoided the question: “I just want to enjoy the moment and not think regarding it.” Much more important at the finish was the news that teammate Van Hooydonck would be on Woke up in the evening and was not in a critical situation. The Dutch racing team confirmed this around two hours following the race. The drivers found out regarding this during the stage. At the beginning of the final climb, the team was informed via radio, as Attila Valter confirmed in the interview.
It is conceivable that Vingegaard was also motivated by the good news in addition to his demonstration of power when he reached the mountain in Bejes. This is not only causing question marks in the Jumbo-Visma warehouse. “It’s hard to see into it,” said Voigt regarding the team’s tactics.
Ohenhin: The events of the day may still give Jumbo-Visma some thought. At least the most important question mark has been answered since the evening.
Vingegaard emotional: “I wanted to win for my best friend”
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