Sepp Kuss doesn't lose his smile even though he's fresh from one of the most bitter defeats of his career. The American rider from Visma | Lease a Bike, launched towards victory after the Col de Sarenne, crashed twice within a couple of kilometers, handing the win to rival Richard Carapaz, with whom he had battled hard on the climb.

"I was so at the limit that I made a mistake taking those two corners - said Kuss, who came close to his second seasonal victory, after the one at Piani di Pezzè obtained at the Giro d'Italia -. The first one coming out of the tunnel, then I got a bit confused and missed another one. There I got a bit scared because I saw the cliff, I'm sorry for my wife and my family who were watching from home, they must have had quite a fright. That's racing, I'm happy with my performance and the battle".

For the Hornets it's been a rather bitter Tour de France, because despite always being in the thick of the action, they'll go home empty-handed. Jonas Vingegaard withdrew precisely on the day when he apparently wanted to give it everything, and today Kuss saw a victory slip through his fingers that he had in hand.

"Unfortunately that's how it went, you don't always have luck and things don't always go our way, but we must be proud of how we fought - was Kuss's comment -. After Vingegaard's withdrawal we tried every day, today the guys supported me greatly, I'm sorry I couldn't repay them. But, I repeat, we finish with our heads held high".

La caída no vista. El globo debía ser considerable, se va recto.

Mirada abajo, en pájara, a saber. Pero un recto digno de MotoGp pic.twitter.com/nIYsnidTha

— Angel David Rodríguez OLY (@SoyAtletismo) July 25, 2026