As someone who raced with Sepp in college, this situation is a bit more personal and annoys me more than usual. Sepp was already that same humble and nice guy 10 years ago so it's extra heartbreaking seeing his two faced teammates attack him like this. I am team Sepp Kuss all day and forever!
It’s because many of the “pros” (unofficially sponsored story lines) are really like this. It’s just easy to overlook the signs b/c of marketing….selfish.
Am Slovenian and I have been team Sepp since he won the Javalambre stage and even more so since he did really well at the TT. He deserves to win a GT and Jonas/Rogla have, in my opinion, an obligation to bring him into Madrid in the red jersey. That's what the fans want and that's what decency wants regardless of what Sepp says. Mate, don't be so humble, you deserve it and you know it!
Yeah we would all love to see Sepp win it. But the team needs to put as much time between themselves and the rest of the field as they can. They don't really have a choice.
Thank you so much I’ve been legit following since his tour of Redlands win against Lachlan and he was just Harley Davidson development rider at that point and from what I’ve seen when they were all just kids throwing Jonas and sepp into domestic roles for primos and seen everything up to now and just knowing the hard work and selflessness he’s shown to the team the AB-SO-LOUTLY OWE THIS TO HIM!!! there is no excuse for these last b2b stages do that to prime name the rider, I mean I’m sure there were riders that could take some time back on gc from froome, did you ever see that happen to this extent ever!!!
When Chris Horner and sean Kelly and johan brunyeal and david Miller and others are in total unanimity, that is a good sign they are giving the true professional reality
very well said, Chris!!! ...and btw, what further demonstrates what fine man Kuss is, is that he immediately after crossing the finish line got to Landa and apologized for sprinting, saying that Landa would have deserved 3. place but he needed the bonus seconds. I hope they finally realize at JVT that they are a team and how often Kuss did not go for his own victory but helped the struggling leader...
I think also Chris has been a domestic himself for almost the whole career and He can identify himself with Kuss, instead of Roglic and Vingegaard...also winning the Angliru is something itself in a ciclyst career! Let's see today if they make peace!
Just imagine if the team and sponsors had a photo of all three crossing the line together after the hardest climb in cycling. That photo would be around for years. Now they have NOTHING and even less because they have pissed off millions fans.
100% But I keep holding out hope they want the final podium with the 3 closest times ever in a grand tour all on one team. They have radios and know the time gaps. Let us hope that's the end game. Sponsors and the entire cycling community would treasure that should it happen. Along with 3 grand tours in one year by 3 differnet riders. If Sepps gets screwed outa the win the shade will be overwhelming.
Finally?! Every commentator who knows anything about road racing has been pretty well in agreement that Jumbo Visma have a real PR problem with the behaviour of their stars. Love Chris’s take on it as always.
Educated? With all those STABBED HIM IN THE BACK insults to professional riders. Chris loves a rant from his Chesterfield, that's why we love him. But he's obviously on a bit of a Jumbo-Visma bashing spree this tour - except for his compatriot Sepp Kuss, of course. To find a more partisan punditry would be impossible...
@@markdonovan1540I think the point Chris was making is that Jumbo Visma were NOT RIDING like professional riders, hence the "stabbed him in the back" comments. Because "professional" riders protect the race lead, not attack it.
Hahaha. C'mon, are you for real? He was racing for third, and was obviously very disappointed when Kuss finished in front of him. Very. Just look at the video again. There's no gives in this sport, and that is now apparent more then ever.
Sepp is the most popular foreign cyclist among Slovenians, because of his hard work for team JV and Primož. He deserve red jersey, amen. Best regards from Slovenia also to Chris....
If It was you sir, I'm 120% convinced that you will argue with them why they did that. I've watched your video about your win at la vuelta 2013 and also props to Landa for helping Kuss and gave the bonus seconds to him. They are not teammates but he showed respect to the red jersey wearer.
To be fair Landa wasn't riding for Kuss he was riding for his own GC position, but it was very handy for him to help pull him to the finish to limit the loss.
@@cuttingthroughthenoise3086 Sepp wasn't looking great when he was dropped and I definitely think it helped him get into a rhythm again having a wheel to ride on. I don't think Sepp was much stronger, I think both were on their limit. Had he been in better shape he'd have easily dropped Landa before the climbing finished and he just didn't do that only coming past him on the downhill run to the line to get the bonus seconds. I loved the way he went over to Landa to say sorry after the finish, which a nice guy. I hope he can keep the red jersey tomorrow but I think Vineyard will attack him again on the final climb will I think if he to keep it he'll have to try and attack first, and even then it might not be enough.
@@mattpotter8725 yes i get all of that. But take that into your mind that without the help of landa, he wasn't be able to make the time. Landa make the 30sec gap to 15secs due to his pull. That's why Sepp at least make the time that he lost when he got dropped. Kudos to Landa and even gave him the bonus seconds to Sepp.
What absurd derrangement. Bjarne riis was the strongest by far in 1996 Jan could timetrial. Bjarne did the most mutant climb that noone could follow still known today as the best HC climb ever done. Jan in too form never came close. Chris froome didnt gift anything that year geraint thomas was the strongest and that was it. That was why he won. And in 2012, he was in the domestique vs leader situation that has happened many times before and it was not that clear that he was much stronger. There are many of these, first you domestique if the team sees you are stronger then probably next year you get your turn or go as as co leaders. Same thing for Vingegaard in 2021. Same with Jan Ulrich 1997 he was stronger that year and got the leader position. Here there is no arguement that Kuss is stronger he is not. Strong but still not as strong as his captains. He lost more than 3 minutes to vingegaard over 9 days. While vingegaard has been severly handicapped by this situation. Greg Lemond was tricked by the sport director to wait for bernard hinault in 85. He did not do it of his own determination. He was told Hinault was only 40 seconds behind and was asked to wait. But he was 4 minutes behind so he got scammed by his own team management. Noone has EVER gifted a GT. This one would be the first. And if sepp wins it is a gift. He is not the strongest.
Amazing how a team can lose so much while winning. I thought yesterday’s stunt was pathetic, but to rinse and repeat on the man’s bday was just despicable.
Right on point. Jumbo Visma has had a dream grand tour season, but now, even if Kuss holds onto the red jersey, many will always judge 2023 as the year Jonas and Roglic attacked their team mate in the red jersey instead of the year they won all 3 grand tours and all 3 podium spots in the final one. They’ve really screwed up a golden opportunity.
Man Sepp fi Kuss dem out and lef dat dutty team. Big big Judas visma fan still but God Know me can’t approve a dem greedy behavior. Man work hard fi two a Uno pricks. And this is how you repay him on him 🎉birthday. Sepp leave that team and go ride with Tadej
I’ve been waiting for this video Chris. I was so steamed with JV and Rog. In the interview SK was saying… I was trying to limit the damage… DAMAGE FROM HIS OWN TEAM
froome was wearing the red jersey in 2011, i believe and he still had to work for his team leader wiggins. at least kuss doesn't have to work for his team leaders while wearing the red jersey. tjv made it clear from the start that all guys were allowed to go for their own chances and that's what they do. it feels wrong and unfair towards kuss, but it has always been clear that these were the team tactics. i hope kuss will. right now tjv is in a perfect position to let kuss win this vuelta and maybe they will, but how does it feel when you're clearly not the strongest and your teammates hand you the win of a grand tour?
Folks who are "not the strongest" can win - that's why this is a team sport. These guys should be happy to work for Sepp. Without Kuss, PR doesn't win the 2020 Vuelta or the 2023 Giro. Without Kuss on the Angliruu in 2020 PR would have been absolutely cooked. For him to drop Kuss at the end of the race when no one else is near them is a stab in the back, period. TJV is losing a lot of fans b/c of this drama when it should be gaining fans.@@qroqqle
I don’t think he’s being handed anything. He’s being attacked by his own teammates in the hardest stages at the hardest moments. How is he being given a damn thing? You sound delusional. How many GTs have JV and PR won without help from their team? ZERO. In fact, Sepp has saved PR’s Giro overall on one occasion, among other big saves. The lead he has now is 100% because he earned it by himself. JV and PR can’t say that about their GT wins.
Why Jonas didn't stay to help Sepp like Primoz did on the stages 13,16? Primoz was 1'37 behind why not go for the stage win like Jonas did the previous day? Jonas just didn't want Roglic to take time from him - that's why!
@@МаргаритаСтоянова-з7з or perhaps, jonas wanted sepp to win this vuelta, primoz didn't agree on that and attacked, in reaction to that, jonas stayed with primoz as if to say, if sepp isn't going to win, neither are you. but who knows, we can't look inside their heads. in the end, they got the whole podium. end good, all good.
Great video by Chris. Watching the post-race interviews on Eurosport, it felt like Jonas started to grasp the implications of the tactics. As one of the studio commentators for Eurosport said, Jonas looked a bit ashen trying to answer the questions. Across a couple of interviews with Roglic, not so much. He just has some BS phrases for Sepp along the lines of 'believe in yourself, keep trying.' But what really cemented the crappy Jumbo tactics in my mind is hearing Sean Kelly, who is a real old-school hard man, take the team to task. He was as adamant as Chris about this being a team effort and they did Sepp dirty.
It’s just not the same. Sepp was already >10 minutes back on GC in 2020. He waited for Roglic and sacrificed a good stage result. We are talking about waiting for Sepp and sacrificing a possible first place in a grand tour. That is just a totally different situation.
@@tuckerprice9663 If they had waited for Sepp today, Landa might have gotten back on. Does anyone really believe that Landa would be able to jump into the lead?
[Agreed that Kuss could have won in 2020 on the Angliru , but had to tow Primoz up for several kilometers to help limit damage to Primoz’s GC.] ====>>>> It's his job to assist LEADERS, it's in his fkin CONTRACT, he is NOT paid to WIN races, he is a professional fkin DOMESTIQUE!!!
thx Chris for your perspective on this. I am totally rooting for Kuss. Is it possible that Jumbo-Visma is literally counting the seconds here? While i have mixed feelings if SK cannot follow, i do tend to agree with you. As far as team chemistry I suspect the real damage was done with putting JV in co-leader role with Pog. Just too much of a good thing! Certainly the team from a spectator’s view will have HUGE mud on their face if Kuss does not take the win. Question: in the highly unlikely event of a tie down to the second would it be broken by TT result?
I just think of the photo and press that could have been with all three 1-2-3 arm-in-arm at the top of such a legendary climb. The Paris-Nice 123 last year was legendary, but this would have been even more so. They had a chance to go from amazing to LEGENDARY and they didn't take it.
This needs more upvotes. What does their sponsor pay them for? Also what are the people of those companies doing? Why are the sponsors of the cycling team not calling the team and shout at them and tell them to give them some GOOD publicity?
In the Portuguese Eurosport with José Azevedo a 3 more, they were completly shocked from the attitude from Roglic and Vinhegard.. they also told that it wood be memorable moment from PR and JV give the Vuelta to Kuss for all of the loyalty and hard work that Kuss gave to them in the last years, and never complaining about nothing. In the end they phrase: “with friends like that, ho needs enemy’s?” I hope they give kuss the Vuelta.. and, i can tell Cris, europe Right now is with Kuss. Thanks for commemts and analise, always great as usual. Regards
@@fabioqueiros9322 That's my point, in a way: you need to look before you opine. In the case of TJV you absolutely do not need to be present at any internal meeting to learn about how they function. They're very open about most aspects, plenty of in-depth interviews out there. There are also a number of commentators who know the team well, such as Thijs Zonneveld, Stef Clement and Tom Dumoulin. They share their knowledge widely, as well as their personal perspectives based on this knowledge. Eurosport commentators have no excuse for not informing themselves before speaking. Chris here is a one-man show (plus a helper or two), so that's a little different. However, he should have enough contacts in cycling still to be able to go directly to a good source. He and Clement, for example, started in the same race/stage 114 times. Surely there are some connections there that he could make use of, even if they may not really know each other personally, in order to educate himself on things TJV relatively quickly.
Landa was actually annoyed that kuss tagged on his wheel and passed him at the end. Make no mistake about it, Landa was trying very hard to beat kuss at the line
I wonder how Roglic felt when TJV decided to bring Jonas to the Vuelta. Maybe that's when the trouble really started. "Yeah Primoz, maybe you can win it, but why don't we bring Jonas juuuust to be safe". And after Jonas went on a rampage on stage 16, Primoz probably thought, "screw this, I'm going too!" TJV wanted to win all three grand tours at any cost, and will end up destroying their team in the process. That's hubris for you. Anyhow, it's hilarious how disingenuous both Primoz and Joans sound in interviews. I for one will never root for either of them ever again if Kuss doesn't make it to Madrid in red.
Stabbed in the back and dirtbag is very appropriate to describe Sepp’s teammates. Chris, I wrote this after watching the race on Peacock and before watching your analysis, I’ll stick with it: Sepp Kuss has been there for both of them-JV and PR-working and sacrificing for years during their tour wins. Yet, they attack him whenever the opportunity arises, instead of helping him to control things. With 1.9 km remaining Sepp was at his limit, and from the video it shows him talking on the mic, presumably letting them know-to slow down. JV looks behind at Sepp and keeps going with PR who is drilling it unnecessarily. And Jumbo’s boss is full of it when he said they weren’t attacking. I saw it with my own eyes, are you kidding me? I hope they come to their ethical senses and support Sepp for the win otherwise in my book, it’s total betrayal. Ironically, we can thank Mikel Landa, an adversary, for keeping Sepp in the red jersey-not his teammates. Totally disgraceful on Jumbo’s part.
By "them", I hope you mean the team managers, Sepp does not talk to the other riders over his radio. So, he couldn't have told anyone to slow down. He was telling them he's cooked and won't be able to hold their wheel.
Jumbo in a predicament. All the leaders are chasing history. Roglic for his 4th, JV for his double grand. And Sepp deserves his 1st after supporting them for so long. You can't be a groomsman forever
I’m not familiar with radio communications within the Jumbo team (them). However, from my experiences with mobile radios it depends on the the distance between the receivers. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that JV glanced back after Sepp spoke; more than likely JV heard him. But I can’t be 100% sure, but it’s sure suspicious.
I agree with Chris, it's a no no for team mates to attack their leader. They didn't wait for him when he got dropped knowing he could lose the race. Luckily Landa contributed to the chase with Kuss and helped him keep the leaders jersey. I also think Landa is a fair rider and not one for dirty tactics as employed by Roglic and Vingegaard who showed a complete lack of respect for their loyal domestique!
"I agree with Chris, it's a no no for team mates to attack their leader. They didn't wait for him when he got dropped knowing he could lose the race. Luckily Landa contributed to the chase with Kuss and helped him keep the leaders jersey. I also think Landa is a fair rider and not one for dirty tactics as employed by Roglic and Vingegaard who showed a complete lack of respect for their loyal domestique!" Kuss "attacked" his better GC placed team mate Vingegaard on stage 6, that is partially the reason he's in the red jersey. Is Kuss an illoyal domestique that deserves no respect?
to suggest that Jonas and Roglic being captains and 2nd and 3rd should suddenly act as domeistiques to Kuss who got the lead not by racing the GT contenders but in a break away that got lucky is just stupid. Having the red jersey Kuss dont have to be a domestique and thats fair
They may say they ’want’ or ‘hope’ their teammate Sepp wins, but fundamentally they don’t believe he deserves it. They think a GT win is wasted on Sepp and he should be happy with a podium. Pat pat, well done Helper Boy. Vinegar is way more interested in winning two GTs in a season than fulfilling some kind of moral contract. Also: Sepp is an astonishing rider. Being anywhere near the pointy end on that stage after his season of grand tours is amazing. Big respect.
PR and JV have generally positive reputations as decent people. They’re really playing with fire here and branding themselves as villains if they keep working against Sepp.
i don't think americans should yell the loudest about being villains in cycling sport. I neither think Kuss would enjoy a reputation as the rider they let win. its only americans making a fuss about this the rest of us doesn't care who of the 3 wins. the only once who are getting negative reputation is this stupid debate.
Chris, I’ve been waiting all day for your video to pop up on my feed haha Ive been curious to know your thoughts on today’s stage. Thank you for all of your coverage👏🏼👏🏼
Chris I’m so glad you finally called this out. Watching the post race interviews was heartbraking. When they take the Red Jersey off Sepp, it will be a moment that may change Sepp’s career. It’s hard to help your teammates over and over and over again to win stages & races (when he could have left them behind) only to find when they had the chance to help back they preferred to leave him in their dust to feed their own egos.
Wow. This vid was epic with all that ranting…two thumbs up. My take on the Remco stupidity is that he didn’t want to go toe to toe on the Angliru. He didn’t want to see that he might not be good enough to beat Jonas or Primoz to the summit, if he sat in, and then they went at it when the climb started. Instead he had an excuse for losing the stage. Very disappointed in that tactic. Bahrain Victorius…I was watching that and just started laughing at how ridiculous they were. Burn the JV domestiques, as they chase Remco, THEN pull that train. But, nope. Finally the attacks on Sepp…I am on record on this thread as saying Sepp Kuss would not win this race. And I don’t believe he will, but not because he couldn’t, but because his teammates are being absolute assholes in attacking him. No one has put him under duress, since Remco, other than his teammates!!! Pace him until someone attacks and he tells them he can’t respond! Wtf!!! This is the worst I have ever seen a teammate get hosed, and, Chris, if you read this, would you mind pointing out ALL THE TIMES a domestique was stronger than his GC leader, and swallowed his ego and toiled on in support of his leader? It’s asinine that they use an oversimplified argument, especially when it’s not remotely close to being true. Loved this video, probably my favorite by you. As I was watching the stage, I knew you were going to light this one up. As great as the Angliru is, Jumbo Visma made it seem like an epic failure. What a shit show.
@@dannyjensen2123 that’s an incredibly stupid response. How dumb are you? Did you watch the video? No one is questioning which riders are JV’s best, but neither does any intelligent person question whether or not those riders win their grand tours without Sepp Kuss WAITING FOR THEM. when they have weak moments. Ayuso was a perfect example yesterday; he started to fade, and a UAE team member was pacing him. Should have just left him, right? Maybe Chris will call YOU a knucklehead in the next video.
Loved the "dirtbag" comment!! You could add it to the repertoire, but it might be better for special occasions like today's Rogic/JV idiocy. Great coverage as usual!!!
Great episode-thanks for throwing down on this topic! TJV has taken a despicable Heel Turn over the past 48 hours that’s utterly trashed their reputation!
Excellent Chris. You should be a DS. Also, in 2020 Roglic only won the Vuelta by 24 seconds. Had Kuss not helped Roglic on stage 12 (the Angliru stage) where Roglic lost the red jersey, he would have lost an additional amount of time in excess of 24 seconds. Leadership means that sometimes leaders need to be good teammates before they are leaders. Jumbo has shown a lack of leadership. It is a team sport and they are not a team and not a family.
Thank you! I've seen too many people say Vingegaard and Roglic are the "leaders" and Sepp Kuss is supposed to work for them. Like what kind of f***ed up world do these people live in where good leaders don't support those that they are leading? Being a great leader is dynamic, you take charge when needed and you support and build up the people around you when needed.
I disagree about Chris should be a DS. It would be a demotion to be one of those knuckleheads. Chris is too valuable to keep his knowledge in a single team.
Exactly! You are so right. “There needs to be a strong message from team management, I believe the team managers have no authority (Niermann, Frans Massen), somebody needs to say what needs to happen and they are not doing it.” @@DC-lu5qs
Well, I've loved your videos for quite a while now. I have learned so much from you about pro cycling. This is the best one I have ever seen. I'm from close to Durango CO, so root for Sepp. However, I'm guessing that JV and PR know that Sepp is a domestique and will treat him as such. Whatever there, I just love the way you are calling those two out for not at this point recognizing Sepp for his contributions to their wins. You sir, are awesome.
It will be interesting to see what we see on Stage 18. Let's hope PR & JV prove us all wrong and do everything possible to help Kuss stay in the red jersey and NOT try to pick up time on him. According to interviews, they both say that they want Kuss to win the Vuelta - well, let's see the support on Stage 18!!! Actions speak louder than words guys!
I am not sure if Sepp will still be in red today or when they get to Madrid This guy was a support rider in TJV for years but now shows his class and commitment Sepp should make a mindset shift and realise that he is a great rider Best of luck to him and if he is out of the leaders jersey I hope he will be on the podium in Madrid GO SEPP!!
But take a big breath now everybody .... You will get your way, so don't worry! Because Kuss has won the Vuelta! (Jonas won't ride for it anymore now.) The biggest problem for Kuss is actually Primoz, because Jonas, until now won’t let Primoz go ahead of him. So, if Primoz attacs tommorow and Kuss, like today can’t keep pace... then Kuss could be in trouble! So if Primoz attcacs for the rest of the race, just wait and see the two times Tour De France winner((Jonas) gonna stop to ride and help Kuss! (That what he told reportes aftarwards) But hey... eighter way, now Kuss has won the Vuelta! ( Jonas still showed in week 3 (as he always does) why he is the best CT rider world at the momment though.)
Exactly right, Chris! Thank you for clearing this up for people who don't understand what's happening here. You don't attack a teammate who is leading the race, you DEFEND the jersey (that means defending Sepp...) Period. It's a revolting display of classlessness by Primoz, Jonas and Jumbo Visma.
@@ChrisHornerCycling I am some old 50 year old guy, I don't care about cycling, I race against Tyler Hamilton in college blah blah..I had to throw up after what I saw today. why?
The number 1 rider on the Butterfly effect strikes again, Jonas should have shepherded Kuss the rest of the way... no need to leave him, unless your selfish... Hats off the Sepp for taking the high road.. I couldn't do it.. haha just caught the last ranking adjustment.. thats perfect...
Hehehe. Pog is back at the top! No way I can leave Jonas there after today. With out any loyalty at all. A slight bit of loyalty is something most are born with, and if you were not born with it you can figure it out by the time you are in your late 20’s. 😬🦋🥈
I couldn't agree more.. personally I didnt think he deserved the one spot to begin with since he not as capable as Pog to win the 1 Day races.. Good move on the re ordering @@ChrisHornerCycling
Excellent commentary from Chris and have enjoyed his channel for years. As a fan of professional cycling for 34 years, Chris said exactly what I was thinking about the lack of teamwork in the last 4k. Demoralizing to watch what PR and JV did to Sepp today.
I started road racing in the early sixties as a Junior in Fresno Ca I won my first race an have been hocked ever since. Now I’m 76 and still love the sport I love your blog And I have followed your career and I have always been proud of you. Like you I have never seen such a chicken Shit move as stage 17 it made me sick.
Sorry but you should go back to that chesterfield. If Jonas wanted the red jersey yesterday he could easily had taken it. He chose not to. But Sepp needs to pedal a little. And another thing Chris it is not about how you rode years ago. They set the rules when they went to the Vuelta with multiple possible winners. These things is obvius now. So Jonas should stay 15 seconds ahead Ayuso ?
Sorry Chris. Jonas and Primoz are bigger than you ever where 😊 not sure you gave anything away, but it sounds fine. If Sepp wins it will be a gift not a win of the best.
@@aoe76You are as arrogant as Roglic and Vingegaard . Sepp is in red after 17 stages despite having to compete against his own team. Neither of them could ever do that…
I’m a huge Jonas fan, but you are right . . . He screwed up today. I’m confident that he will do the right thing the rest of the way into Madrid. Not sure about Roglic though, he may attack again. Chris nailed it . . . Sepp is owed a debt of gratitude.
In my eyes: Everything started on Tourmalet. They allowed Jonas to go full gas and gain time,but lets say they have established 1,2,3 in GC and this was managable. Primoz stayed with Sepp, everyone knows. In the eyes of Primoz, how do you think it looks when Jonas went again in stage 16 (although the battle plan was going for the stage with Primoz, Sepp words, and Jonas changed his mind 4.1km to go) and Jonas got again a huge gap to both and Primoz stayed back with Sepp? Primoz did just few short accelerations, not attacking, but he saw what Jonas was doing (trying to win with 2min gap, notnjust winning) Do you really think he couldnt go after Jonas with Finn Fischer Black etc? I think easily. Primoz was loosing time and has seen Jonas is going for the GC, although they were all speaking "not attacking each other. The gap of Primoz remained, till stage 17, nearly the sam as after the TT, but what happen with the gap of Jonas? Stage 17 was the consequence of these things and you can hear for the first time in 2 weeks Jumbo DS speaking that the riders have free hands in the stage finish (on stage 17). Things changed after stage 16 and if Primoz disnt went today, I am sure Jonas would attack for Red, actually he was getting it, but I think they have eased up a little bit in the end. Why Jonas disnt stayed with Sepp 2km to go,when Primoz went for the stage? Same scenario as in stage 16, but a different guy. Primoz was 1.5min back actually. Now, we will see what happens next. If they are gonna attack Sepp on stage 18 and who is going to do it. Then we could draw all the conclusions.
Agree! Tourmalet - Sepp told, the plan was to Rogla to go; but instead Jonas attacked and gained 1min over all others. Primoz waited til last 1km with Kuss! Dont we forget this! Yesterday atatck - Primoz was stil 1.30 down to Kuss. If you lead a team, you can let Rogla go (as you did with Jonas on Tourmalent) and Jonas stays with Kuss... but hey ---no, no... Hope they bring red Kuss till Madrid. If not, better they leave JV (Rogla and Kuss) - Rogla and Jonas just can not work together! Just the fact, sadly.
Stage 15 When Jonas did -1:14 on last 4km he might have fucked up right there he could have do the same past 1-2km and take 20-30 sec max he took 1:14 and today he take another -14 for GC which made him right 8 seconds behind his own buddy Sep Kuss,yet he said after stage interview he wants Kuss to win Vuelta ,call that big bullsh*t Jonas you are lying ,you could have just stayed with him on Angliru but decided to follow Roglic which still would be way behind u after today. Roglic is jerk also at least he was honest saying he wants to win Vuelta ....
I had this feeling, all the way trough last two TDF, that Vingegaard is snake, not even brave snake, but the one who will stub from the back.. And voilà... Here he is in the full expo.. Didn't expect this from Primo tho..
@@oxber3154 Roglic just wanted his 2nd place back, not the red jersey. Jonas is the snake here.Remember how frustrated WVA , when the didnt get any help from Jonas at TDF.
I have a different take on Vingegaard in this case. I think by following Roglic, he was essentially telling him, that he was not going to let him win the Vuelta. If he was going to try and take it from Sepp, he was going to take it from Roglic by not conceding any to time to him. I think Vingegaard meant it when he said he wanted Sepp to win.
I wrote yesterday in another video that it's not cool that Vingegaard rode off twice and left Kuss behind. I got reponses like "the strongest one should win". But if a former pro and grand tour winner says that Kuss is treated unfairly by his teammates, I feel much better about my naive spectator view that the team should give the Vuelta win to Kuss. He has worked so hard for Roglic and Vingegaard the past few years, and they won tours with his help. It would suck if they keep sabotaging his once in a lifetime chance to win a grand tour. That certainly would destroy team chemistry. Not sure how long Kuss' contract with Jumbo Visma is, but maybe he should find his luck in another team. Not to compete for grand tours, but to get more respect from teammates and the team. One would think the team would have team orders by now that would include Kuss keeping the red jersey until the end.
I blamed Jonas yesterday but gave him some leeway because I thought he was getting the stage win to honour his "best" friend Nathan van Hooydonck, who had been in a serious accident and had been in an induced coma, that it was communicated with him just before the final climb he's had just come out of. But in hindsight and after his actions today I think he just used that as cover for gaining time back and going for the race win. Today I don't blame him as much (though I do still think he should have just let Roglič go and stayed with Sepp), mainly because I think he and Roglič just don't get on and he didn't want him gaining time back or winning the stage. I always thought bringing Vingegaard to the Vuelta, unless it was as insurance in case something happened to Roglič, was odd and might cause a rift in the team, but between the two top riders not with Kuss. I bet Kuss is not thinking he should have reacted to Vingegaard's attack earlier yesterday so he wasn't so close. I think Vineyard will win tomorrow's stage, picking up the bonus seconds and going into red (even if Sepp is with him at the finish) and it stinks imo. I don't think Kuss will be with the team next season, maybe with the title sponsor, Jumbo-Visma, leaving there won't even be a team and the riders will all be on different teams.
Last week, I made a comment about Jonas probably trying to take the win, but others were talking about team work, helping Kuss, etc. I knew this would happen. They are sharks. Jonas didn't help WVA that one time either.
@@Flum666 I think it does, but just not for a North American rider. Perhaps Kuss is already plotting an escape from his 2024 contract - I sure would be.
I am 🇩🇰 and usually a Big fan of Jumbo Visma especially because they have their reputation #SAMMENWINNEN ( we are winning together) but today I was soooooo dissapointed, that they didnt wait for Sepp Kuss 😢 I know they all are saying, yes we want Sepp to win la Vuelta, but Jonas could easily have Helped Sepp….Primoz had some time to catch and Sepp might have Said to them to just go for it…..still…..who was guiding them in the car today ? I think it might not have been Grischa Niemann…..he would have asked Jonas at least to wait and be a domestique for Sepp……and on his birthday ! Wauw Jonas and Primoz what the F…. Were the two of you thinking ??? It confuses me a lot, because I know for a fact that Jonas is very humble and really wants to Award Sepp for his hard work in TDF……but now the gap is only 7 sekunds 😢 and I really hope they have a good team session tonight……to me it seemed like Jonas and Primoz was the 2 biggest knuckleheads today……they better let Sepp Kuss keep that beautiful red Jersey untill the end !!! The JV team overall want them to be 1-2-3 overall……but I am sooooo dissapointed with both of them……poor Sepp trying to smile and trying to convince the Press that he doesnt want the win as a gift…..well how about helping him along…..like Wout did for Jonas in TDF last year…..actually doing all the difference, being used as a motorbike 😂 for Jonas, when he needed it the most…..Primoz and Jonas could easily have done the same for Sepp today I think……buuuuuuuh……If Jonas wins overall, I certainly will not participate in ANY celebration……what the heck were they thinking ?
There may be more to the story that we don't know... I do allow for that. Thanks for your comment, as an American, I appreciate it. My hope is that the the pre-set plans of the team director or team manager (or maybe even some sort of contract stipulation) allowed for this, rather than the in-the-moment decisions of over-stressed, exhausted riders. Passing the blame around would help the sport I think, sadly.
Thank you Chris for telling it straight! One of your best commentaries ever. From my standpoint as a former competitive runner where teamwork doesn't mean nearly as much during the racing, it's easier to buy into the "strongest man should win" and "let the road decide" mentality, but you've demolished those excuses in this situation. Even to my eyes, it looked really bad when Roglic attacked, and even worse when they both rode off dropping their loyal teammate and red jersey wearer, a real WTF moment. Sepp has come through every at every test once he got the jersey, including the TT, and now so close to the end of three weeks they drop him (in JV's case, for two days straight), for no compelling reason? It's a total black eye for the so-called "team." Let's hope they come to their senses and support him to the finish, he's certainly shown his strength and has honored the red jersey--now they should do the same.
to suggest that Jonas and Roglic being captains and 2nd and 3rd should suddenly act as domeistiques to Kuss who got the lead not by racing the GT contenders but in a break away that got lucky is just stupid. Having the red jersey Kuss dont have to be a domestique and thats fair
I absolutely disagree. Without Kuss, PR doesn't win the 2020 Vuelta or the 2023 Giro. Kuss could have even challenged to win that Angliruu stage in 2020. There is no gift at all, PR and JV have won grand tours due to Sepp's work. They should be happy to work for him since circumstances (not luck - he kicked ass on that time trial to maintain his lead) have him in red now. That they won't speaks volumes (especially for PR - and I am a huge PR fan).@@tfd6944
I don’t mind Roglic going up the road to get the stage win. He wasn’t going to gain the red jersey. It does bother me that Jonas didn’t hang back and help Sepp. He’s gotten his roses in this race. Sepp is a fighter and held on to the jersey. Monster.
Guys, what help could be have been done by Jonas? It was way, way over 10 % steep. Draft is neglible there. Sure it is bad optics but do you expect Jonas to give away the vuelta to Primoz, if Sepp had cracked so badly that he had lost 1 or 1,5 minutes. The biggest mistake in my opinion was that the DS allowed Primoz to set his own tempo. Primoz should accept now that he is currently not able to beat Jonas in a gc fight (i understand that this is probably not as easy as it sounds when you are a top 3 gc rider in the world). If he accepts this, then there is no reason to keep such a high pace that Sepp can not follow. All three plus Landa can come to the line together and Primoz wins the sprint. I am convinced, if Jonas wanted to take the red jersey, he could have done it. Instead, he just sat on Primoz wheel. Remember what an on form Jonas can do. In my opinion, everyone needs to calm down and watch how stage 18 unfolds.
Guys, this is a fraternal battle between Primoz and Jonas, with lovely Sepp reaping the consequences. Primoz never liked that Jonas was at the Vuelta...
Surprised? Why? TJV is pissing on the unwritten rules of etiquette of a sport great many people hold dear. It is supposed to be a gentlemen’s sport, not the shitshow TJV turned it into.
I just burn when people refer to a gift! Sepp is in the red jersey. It is expected that his team will support their leader in the red jersey. Instead they are attacking him! Sepp is still in the red jersey in spite of Primoz and Jonas.
Jonas waited for Tadej after he went off the road going down a descent at last years TdF. Seems like a lesser ask here to hold up a little in the last km for a teammate wearing red.
I don't think Jumbo is ready for the backlash on social media if they screw it up tomorrow, which of course could lead to losing sponsors and team shakeups.
winning 3 grand tours ??? would never lead to losing sponsors. that american fans are going nutz is not the rest of the world lol everyone else wants Jumbo to win we doesn't care who of them wins beside you. all this is so double standard and you all don't even realise it. This is only made a fuss because Kuss is american. had it been reversed would you have said anything against Kuss.
Shut up- we are allowed to root for Americans. Also- this isn't all about Sepp being American, he's a nice guy and a hard worker that's helped Jumbo transform from a third rate ProTour team to the best stage racing team on the planet. Look at how many podiums and victories Sepp has dragged leaders to. Like Chris said- he's got credit for all those.
@@seanmccombs6321 I was gonna say, how about the double standard of Americans needing to stfu all the time lol -- Jumbo is also already pulling out of all sports sponsorships anyways, but a Kuss win might make some waves in the US (though I haven't seen a whole lot of talk about him here yet, even in Colorado outside of Durango).
Reminds me of when the European team director made Lemond wait for Hinault. JV directors won’t protect an American like they would European riders. There is no way they would let Sepp attack on of those guys if roles were reversed. At this point I want Sepp to change teams.
nailed it... "it's a Euro sport... OUR sport... you come here & we use you up." Lance lost his moral compass when he decided; "ok Euros... I'll play your game & best you the way you play... I'll beat you in your drug game and then beat you on the road...10 times over." a tragedy all around for a sport we love.
@@grumpy9478Man… I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought this. I hate thinking it, but I have to think him being an American may have something to do with it.
I don't understand what Vingo was thinking. If he wanted to sprint to push Rog for the win, fine. But taking time out of Sepp, after all that Sepp's done for him is unacceptable. Why should Kuss bury himself for Vingo ever again?
Completely agree. Jonas should have stayed with Sepp, 100%. If Rogla wants the stage, wants to waste his relationship with Sepp, then let him. But what we saw was Rogla riding, being chased by his teammate, leaving their teammate with zero pressure from any other GC rider. THAT, friends, is a complete disgrace.
Kuss should bury himself for Vingegaard because that's exactly what he is being paid to do. They are professionals doing a job. If Sepp wants to be GC Sepp he should sit down with Jumbo Visma. Or, for now, just stay on the wheel of Roglic and Vingegaard.
New cycling enthusiast here so cut me some slack if I’m completely off: Couldn’t it be that TJV have decided to give Sepp GC already, but at this point they want to 1. Secure full GC podium for TJV 2. Get some buffer for Primos and Jonas against Ayuso & co, keeping them in contention if something was to happen Sepp
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Both Primoz and Jonas have forgotten the first rule of being on a cycling team and that is you must defend the leader's red jersey. What I saw was two individuals who were selfishly racing against one another to establish who is the big dog on team. What we have been watching is the best team in cycling implode as a team. I have lost ALL respect for both Primoz and Jonas. They owe it to the team, the fans, and the sport to honor the red jersey by riding in SUPPORT of their team mate who is wearing it, not by attacking him. BTW, Primoz must have a very short memory because there is no way he would have ever won the Giro without the complete support of Sepp Kuss.
@@davidpan2405 Kuss already has it and is not challenged by any other team. Kuss could win it for Jumbo and JV could pay him back for helping him to win the Tour.
@@ChrisHornerCyclingbusiness as is politics. Not good for maintaining 'establishment' status quo if the yeoman class sees one of their own taking a GC win at a GT.
Props to Chris for showing all of us non-pros, the professional racer mindset. Thanks for bringing it down to Earth for the rest of us. Good point about Sepp Kuss giving it slow on the Angliru in 2020 when he could have won that stage. TeamSport!!! And you'll be happy to see what happened on Thursday's stage. Big Relief!!
Jonas, definitely yes! I am not sure about Primoz. You could see his disappointment after stage 16, where TJV let Jonas attack. Primoz just wanted to make a statement as he knows that he got screwed once again by TJV. You can see that he was willing to help Sepp win, but ego from Jonas is just too big. The endstandings in Madrid will be: Jonas, Sepp, Primoz. Jonas actually broke the chemistry in the team, and I hope that Primoz and Sepp start searching for another team.
Jonas doesnt want to pull for someone he iz selfish he attacks twice , yesterday was his day to pull for kuss while and Roglic win the stage , what was his purpose to follow Roglic its like he is sending messsge to Roglic that im stronger than you u cannot drop me
I think the fight is over after the big stages. In my opinion Sepp won yesterday La Vuelta by keeping the red after them and from now on they’re going to respect that. My bet is it remains as it is in Madrid: Kuss, Vingegaard, Roglic
@@delightchinosengwa1431Jonas is clearly the strongest guy in this race. It was Roglic who set the tempo. That's important because the only one who made an acceleration was Roglic a little earlier on the climb. You can say that Roglic should have set a slower tempo for Kuss to follow, but it would be strange to say the least for Jonas to not follow the wheel in front of him. Roglic could still have won the stage if he had set a slightly slower tempo.
I generally don't like rich teams that buy up all the talent (Yankees, anyone?), but JV had seemed to be good guys, give wins to Laporte, said nice things - but this was beyond the pale. Stop trying to be nice and just say you're selfish sharks if you're going to pull this kind of stuff. Sepp is a better man than I, too, I guess. Chapeau, Sepp!
Great analysis Chris. Love that you move Tadej over Jonas. BTW, GCN commentators (in Spanish) , mentioned that you have the 2nd best time up the Agrilu, and that you did it been 40 years old and "sin pelo" ... 😂. I had a good laugh, and appreciate that they mention you. You are the best!!
Thank you for telling it the way it should be! The vast majority of most GC winners would not be winners if they did not have help from team mates. I am sure there is an underlying current on the team for next years contract, and it will not be the same guys as this year!
I’m not sure how teams and contracts work, but if Sepp can somehow join UAE and help Pogacar win the TDF over Jumbo that would be sweet justice. These last couple of stages have really soured me on JV and PR. Sepp deserves better!
If Primoz and Jonas attack Sepp on stage 18 and take away the red Jersey from Sepp am done with team JV ill be taking my support for team UAE. Coz it doesn't make sense anymore. There is nothing left Sepp hasn't done to his teammate over the years, he's always the motorbike used in pacing for the group and now when it's his time to be towed everyone is just going leaving him wrecked.
!?? Silly, Sepp SHOULD try maybe other teams where he can be a GC Contender. Not a team with another mega superstar. There’s a line between loving Kuss and hating Jumbo, and that line is common sense, which you seemed to have lost. What guarantee do you have that UAE (being second strongest team in the sport now), with its mega superstar Pogacar will not end up in the same situation as Jumbo: eaten up alive by itw own hubris? Sepp should move to grow his own career as a GC Contender where he doesn’t have to deal with sharing / helping another mega superstar(s). He deserves that.
@@martinjs7605 If we speak of common sense it's clear that our beloved team doesn't have it at all this far. I have no hate for TJV I have supported this team like forever and I love all the riders for their grit. We've sacrificed a lot for this team. However, if ego has overcome the fabric of the team and those who have been supported over the years can't support others when it's clear they should then that's not common sense is it? There is no team with assurance even when we joined TJV ages ago there was no assurance altogether.
This is a one in a lifetime opportunity for Kuss, and even if there is an agreement, it is unbelievable how he was left alone. Thank the Lord for Landismo living forever 😍 UAE leaving the 4th on GC alone for death was also pretty amazing to see 🤔 Tactics took an early rest day 😂
@@snakeeyes74 Sepp didnt really look at jonas the fishboy after the race,he was friendly with roglic & he also picked his words in the interview,sepp is a fighter on the bike bike BUT too nice off the bike,he didnt wanna say what he REALLY thought,J.Bruneel also said the same
@@joehiatt1992 The Doping Dane is a really weird guy who comes off as being really anti social. How many times did we see Pogacar try to congratulate him after a TDF stage only to have Fish Boy (I like that) too preoccupied talking with his wife on the phone? Like she couldn't wait a couple of seconds to continue their important conversation.
I didn't really think about it this way. Mikel was improving his GC positioning and for Kuss to apologize for sprinting him says they both knew what was happening.
Sepp has been the primary climbing domestic for both of them for five grand tours in a row. Not to mention all the other stage races he has helped win. It’s a pity that these teammates don’t understand that they didn’t do it by themselves. It’s even worse that management is blowing apart the team they fought so hard to build. Maybe because Jumbo Visma is not sponsoring in the future, the team won’t be able to pay Sepp, Jonas and Primos, so they are willing to burn a promising American, to keep one star. The worst part was, yesterday was Sepp’s birthday! Happy Birthday Sepp Kuss!
As someone who raced with Sepp in college, this situation is a bit more personal and annoys me more than usual. Sepp was already that same humble and nice guy 10 years ago so it's extra heartbreaking seeing his two faced teammates attack him like this. I am team Sepp Kuss all day and forever!
It’s because many of the “pros” (unofficially sponsored story lines) are really like this. It’s just easy to overlook the signs b/c of marketing….selfish.
You never raced with him you clown.
Am Slovenian and I have been team Sepp since he won the Javalambre stage and even more so since he did really well at the TT. He deserves to win a GT and Jonas/Rogla have, in my opinion, an obligation to bring him into Madrid in the red jersey. That's what the fans want and that's what decency wants regardless of what Sepp says. Mate, don't be so humble, you deserve it and you know it!
1000%
Yeah we would all love to see Sepp win it. But the team needs to put as much time between themselves and the rest of the field as they can. They don't really have a choice.
@@marcusm8745 they have a big enough time gap now.
Thank you so much I’ve been legit following since his tour of Redlands win against Lachlan and he was just Harley Davidson development rider at that point and from what I’ve seen when they were all just kids throwing Jonas and sepp into domestic roles for primos and seen everything up to now and just knowing the hard work and selflessness he’s shown to the team the AB-SO-LOUTLY OWE THIS TO HIM!!! there is no excuse for these last b2b stages do that to prime name the rider, I mean I’m sure there were riders that could take some time back on gc from froome, did you ever see that happen to this extent ever!!!
As a fellow Slovenian I agree.
When Chris Horner and sean Kelly and johan brunyeal and david Miller and others are in total unanimity, that is a good sign they are giving the true professional reality
A bunch of old dopers wanting Jonas to gift the Vuelta to sepp Kuss - his own domestique. Who gives a fuck? I don’t.
Yep. It’s been pretty universal. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Kelly or Brunyeal so angry.
Brunyeel is the biggest hypocrit , remember Armstrong attacing Contador, where was he then?
@@henriksylvestolsen4885Contador attacked Armstrong, Lance was in front at the time
@@perdeto 2009 when they were at the same team!!
very well said, Chris!!! ...and btw, what further demonstrates what fine man Kuss is, is that he immediately after crossing the finish line got to Landa and apologized for sprinting, saying that Landa would have deserved 3. place but he needed the bonus seconds. I hope they finally realize at JVT that they are a team and how often Kuss did not go for his own victory but helped the struggling leader...
I think also Chris has been a domestic himself for almost the whole career and He can identify himself with Kuss, instead of Roglic and Vingegaard...also winning the Angliru is something itself in a ciclyst career! Let's see today if they make peace!
That was an excellent edition of the Butterfly Effect. Thanks for giving it to us straight!
Just imagine if the team and sponsors had a photo of all three crossing the line together after the hardest climb in cycling. That photo would be around for years. Now they have NOTHING and even less because they have pissed off millions fans.
Great point
That’s right! 3 teammates at the finish including the red jersey would have been a fantastic pic.
This. 100% this.
100% But I keep holding out hope they want the final podium with the 3 closest times ever in a grand tour all on one team. They have radios and know the time gaps. Let us hope that's the end game. Sponsors and the entire cycling community would treasure that should it happen. Along with 3 grand tours in one year by 3 differnet riders. If Sepps gets screwed outa the win the shade will be overwhelming.
Even Landa should be in front od them! Foto would say :"TEAM Spirit is more important than singel win!"
Finally a voice of reason. Thank you Chris for a real world opinion from a educated point of view.
👊🦋
Finally?! Every commentator who knows anything about road racing has been pretty well in agreement that Jumbo Visma have a real PR problem with the behaviour of their stars.
Love Chris’s take on it as always.
Lantern rouge in a love in with Jumbo that young Benji lad is some clown
Educated? With all those STABBED HIM IN THE BACK insults to professional riders. Chris loves a rant from his Chesterfield, that's why we love him. But he's obviously on a bit of a Jumbo-Visma bashing spree this tour - except for his compatriot Sepp Kuss, of course. To find a more partisan punditry would be impossible...
@@markdonovan1540I think the point Chris was making is that Jumbo Visma were NOT RIDING like professional riders, hence the "stabbed him in the back" comments. Because "professional" riders protect the race lead, not attack it.
Spot on commentary and dropping serious knowledge. You can’t always teach soft skills but Mr. Horner is giving a clinic right now.
This stage belonged to Landa in my book. He brought Sepp to the line knowing how important the bonus seconds were to him. Class.
Yeah. It would be nice to see fellow US racers from other teams work for Sepp tomorrow.
Thks Landa!
Hahaha. C'mon, are you for real? He was racing for third, and was obviously very disappointed when Kuss finished in front of him. Very. Just look at the video again. There's no gives in this sport, and that is now apparent more then ever.
Oh damn! You’re right! I was wondering about that as well, as he didn’t seem to fight for it.
Definitely was trying for 3rd
Sepp is the most popular foreign cyclist among Slovenians, because of his hard work for team JV and Primož. He deserve red jersey, amen. Best regards from Slovenia also to Chris....
If It was you sir, I'm 120% convinced that you will argue with them why they did that. I've watched your video about your win at la vuelta 2013 and also props to Landa for helping Kuss and gave the bonus seconds to him. They are not teammates but he showed respect to the red jersey wearer.
Respect Sepp's team doesn't abide by.
To be fair Landa wasn't riding for Kuss he was riding for his own GC position, but it was very handy for him to help pull him to the finish to limit the loss.
I think Sepp would have had him either way. I think Mikel was toast and Sepp was in better shape at the end.
@@cuttingthroughthenoise3086 Sepp wasn't looking great when he was dropped and I definitely think it helped him get into a rhythm again having a wheel to ride on. I don't think Sepp was much stronger, I think both were on their limit. Had he been in better shape he'd have easily dropped Landa before the climbing finished and he just didn't do that only coming past him on the downhill run to the line to get the bonus seconds. I loved the way he went over to Landa to say sorry after the finish, which a nice guy. I hope he can keep the red jersey tomorrow but I think Vineyard will attack him again on the final climb will I think if he to keep it he'll have to try and attack first, and even then it might not be enough.
@@mattpotter8725 yes i get all of that. But take that into your mind that without the help of landa, he wasn't be able to make the time. Landa make the 30sec gap to 15secs due to his pull. That's why Sepp at least make the time that he lost when he got dropped. Kudos to Landa and even gave him the bonus seconds to Sepp.
Surprisingly none of the experts have recalled that Chris Froome let Bradley Wiggins win the Tour and Greg LeMond did the same for Bernard Hinault.
how ... convenient. Jumbo Visma must pay.
And Hinault promised to work for LeMond but when it came time, Hinault played the strongest rider card. Armstrong pulled the same crap on Contador.
Even worse. This is the ONLY time Kuss will be able to take a Grand Tour. There's no comeback
And Ulrich let Rijs win the Tour in 96
What absurd derrangement.
Bjarne riis was the strongest by far in 1996 Jan could timetrial.
Bjarne did the most mutant climb that noone could follow still known today as the best HC climb ever done. Jan in too form never came close.
Chris froome didnt gift anything that year geraint thomas was the strongest and that was it. That was why he won.
And in 2012, he was in the domestique vs leader situation that has happened many times before and it was not that clear that he was much stronger. There are many of these, first you domestique if the team sees you are stronger then probably next year you get your turn or go as as co leaders. Same thing for Vingegaard in 2021. Same with Jan Ulrich 1997 he was stronger that year and got the leader position. Here there is no arguement that Kuss is stronger he is not. Strong but still not as strong as his captains. He lost more than 3 minutes to vingegaard over 9 days. While vingegaard has been severly handicapped by this situation.
Greg Lemond was tricked by the sport director to wait for bernard hinault in 85. He did not do it of his own determination. He was told Hinault was only 40 seconds behind and was asked to wait. But he was 4 minutes behind so he got scammed by his own team management.
Noone has EVER gifted a GT. This one would be the first. And if sepp wins it is a gift. He is not the strongest.
Amazing how a team can lose so much while winning. I thought yesterday’s stunt was pathetic, but to rinse and repeat on the man’s bday was just despicable.
*_Insight of the Day_* - Great comment
Right on point. Jumbo Visma has had a dream grand tour season, but now, even if Kuss holds onto the red jersey, many will always judge 2023 as the year Jonas and Roglic attacked their team mate in the red jersey instead of the year they won all 3 grand tours and all 3 podium spots in the final one. They’ve really screwed up a golden opportunity.
You said it
Man Sepp fi Kuss dem out and lef dat dutty team. Big big Judas visma fan still but God Know me can’t approve a dem greedy behavior. Man work hard fi two a Uno pricks. And this is how you repay him on him 🎉birthday. Sepp leave that team and go ride with Tadej
Ironic
I’ve been waiting for this video Chris. I was so steamed with JV and Rog. In the interview SK was saying… I was trying to limit the damage… DAMAGE FROM HIS OWN TEAM
froome was wearing the red jersey in 2011, i believe and he still had to work for his team leader wiggins. at least kuss doesn't have to work for his team leaders while wearing the red jersey. tjv made it clear from the start that all guys were allowed to go for their own chances and that's what they do. it feels wrong and unfair towards kuss, but it has always been clear that these were the team tactics. i hope kuss will. right now tjv is in a perfect position to let kuss win this vuelta and maybe they will, but how does it feel when you're clearly not the strongest and your teammates hand you the win of a grand tour?
Folks who are "not the strongest" can win - that's why this is a team sport. These guys should be happy to work for Sepp. Without Kuss, PR doesn't win the 2020 Vuelta or the 2023 Giro. Without Kuss on the Angliruu in 2020 PR would have been absolutely cooked. For him to drop Kuss at the end of the race when no one else is near them is a stab in the back, period. TJV is losing a lot of fans b/c of this drama when it should be gaining fans.@@qroqqle
I don’t think he’s being handed anything. He’s being attacked by his own teammates in the hardest stages at the hardest moments. How is he being given a damn thing? You sound delusional. How many GTs have JV and PR won without help from their team? ZERO. In fact, Sepp has saved PR’s Giro overall on one occasion, among other big saves. The lead he has now is 100% because he earned it by himself. JV and PR can’t say that about their GT wins.
Why Jonas didn't stay to help Sepp like Primoz did on the stages 13,16? Primoz was 1'37 behind why not go for the stage win like Jonas did the previous day? Jonas just didn't want Roglic to take time from him - that's why!
@@МаргаритаСтоянова-з7з or perhaps, jonas wanted sepp to win this vuelta, primoz didn't agree on that and attacked, in reaction to that, jonas stayed with primoz as if to say, if sepp isn't going to win, neither are you. but who knows, we can't look inside their heads. in the end, they got the whole podium. end good, all good.
Great video by Chris. Watching the post-race interviews on Eurosport, it felt like Jonas started to grasp the implications of the tactics. As one of the studio commentators for Eurosport said, Jonas looked a bit ashen trying to answer the questions. Across a couple of interviews with Roglic, not so much. He just has some BS phrases for Sepp along the lines of 'believe in yourself, keep trying.' But what really cemented the crappy Jumbo tactics in my mind is hearing Sean Kelly, who is a real old-school hard man, take the team to task. He was as adamant as Chris about this being a team effort and they did Sepp dirty.
When chris says he’s ready to unload, I grab the popcorn
solid 11 minute tirade.
You are not the only one and I’m happy he spoke about yesterday as well.
🍿🦋👊😬🔥💥
Agreed that Kuss could have won in 2020 on the Angliru , but had to tow Primoz up for several kilometers to help limit damage to Primoz’s GC.
that's why he's on the pay-roll
It’s just not the same. Sepp was already >10 minutes back on GC in 2020. He waited for Roglic and sacrificed a good stage result. We are talking about waiting for Sepp and sacrificing a possible first place in a grand tour. That is just a totally different situation.
@@tuckerprice9663 If they had waited for Sepp today, Landa might have gotten back on. Does anyone really believe that Landa would be able to jump into the lead?
[Agreed that Kuss could have won in 2020 on the Angliru , but had to tow Primoz up for several kilometers to help limit damage to Primoz’s GC.] ====>>>> It's his job to assist LEADERS, it's in his fkin CONTRACT, he is NOT paid to WIN races, he is a professional fkin DOMESTIQUE!!!
thx Chris for your perspective on this. I am totally rooting for Kuss. Is it possible that Jumbo-Visma is literally counting the seconds here? While i have mixed feelings if SK cannot follow, i do tend to agree with you. As far as team chemistry I suspect the real damage was done with putting JV in co-leader role with Pog. Just too much of a good thing! Certainly the team from a spectator’s view will have HUGE mud on their face if Kuss does not take the win. Question: in the highly unlikely event of a tie down to the second would it be broken by TT result?
I just think of the photo and press that could have been with all three 1-2-3 arm-in-arm at the top of such a legendary climb. The Paris-Nice 123 last year was legendary, but this would have been even more so. They had a chance to go from amazing to LEGENDARY and they didn't take it.
gotta agree...
This needs more upvotes.
What does their sponsor pay them for? Also what are the people of those companies doing? Why are the sponsors of the cycling team not calling the team and shout at them and tell them to give them some GOOD publicity?
Great point!👍🎯
Exactly!!
Yeah but they wouldn't have been able to. Landa caught up.
In the Portuguese Eurosport with José Azevedo a 3 more, they were completly shocked from the attitude from Roglic and Vinhegard.. they also told that it wood be memorable moment from PR and JV give the Vuelta to Kuss for all of the loyalty and hard work that Kuss gave to them in the last years, and never complaining about nothing.
In the end they phrase: “with friends like that, ho needs enemy’s?”
I hope they give kuss the Vuelta.. and, i can tell Cris, europe Right now is with Kuss.
Thanks for commemts and analise, always great as usual.
Regards
What do you mean, give? No one is giving anything. It’s called teamwork. Is Sepp giving Jonas or Primoz a GC win when he helps them win a grand tour?
Just like Chris, those analysts clearly have no idea how TJV functions.
@@rdklkje13unless you’re watching in the meeting, you can only analyse what you see… captain obvious
@@fabioqueiros9322 That's my point, in a way: you need to look before you opine.
In the case of TJV you absolutely do not need to be present at any internal meeting to learn about how they function. They're very open about most aspects, plenty of in-depth interviews out there.
There are also a number of commentators who know the team well, such as Thijs Zonneveld, Stef Clement and Tom Dumoulin. They share their knowledge widely, as well as their personal perspectives based on this knowledge.
Eurosport commentators have no excuse for not informing themselves before speaking. Chris here is a one-man show (plus a helper or two), so that's a little different. However, he should have enough contacts in cycling still to be able to go directly to a good source. He and Clement, for example, started in the same race/stage 114 times. Surely there are some connections there that he could make use of, even if they may not really know each other personally, in order to educate himself on things TJV relatively quickly.
For me Mikel Landa proved a teammate than Primoz and Jonas…he pulled Sepp to the finish and didn’t even sprint for a podium finish..absolute legend 🙏
Mikel Landa did that because he moved himself up to 5th place. It was in his own self interest to finish as quickly as possible
Landa was actually annoyed that kuss tagged on his wheel and passed him at the end. Make no mistake about it, Landa was trying very hard to beat kuss at the line
Landa is a moral man.. knows what's what..
@@roadcyclist1Sepp didn’t really have another choice. His dick head teammates put him in that position.
Landismo all the way!!!
How this guy isn’t a mainstream commentator is beyond me. I have been watching grand tour racing for 30 years and I learned more today than ever.
Horner was a commenter on US TV for years until this year.
Chris said in a TDF episode this year that NBC fired him for no reason. NBC is a joke.
I mean he was on NBC coverage of the Tour de France during my childhood, so I'd say that's pretty mainstream.
Well I know why 🤣.
Bobke @@RobGrenzendicht
Great breakdown Chris, this stage really had me shaking my head at the lack of TEAM tactics!!
been waiting on your observations about the last stage, Chris. thanks!
👊🦋
I wonder how Roglic felt when TJV decided to bring Jonas to the Vuelta. Maybe that's when the trouble really started. "Yeah Primoz, maybe you can win it, but why don't we bring Jonas juuuust to be safe". And after Jonas went on a rampage on stage 16, Primoz probably thought, "screw this, I'm going too!" TJV wanted to win all three grand tours at any cost, and will end up destroying their team in the process. That's hubris for you. Anyhow, it's hilarious how disingenuous both Primoz and Joans sound in interviews. I for one will never root for either of them ever again if Kuss doesn't make it to Madrid in red.
I'll root even harder for Jonas if he destroys the competition in the next few days. haha.
Bringing jonas, was a slap on the face for roglic.
At least the ski jumper was honest about it, Jonas was extremely cagey he sounded like a politician
Roglic needs to go to Ineos or Bahrain and compete at the Tour against Jonas
@@MeesterJhe would get owned so bad it is not even funny
Your passion is ripping through the screen Chris. Thank you!
Stabbed in the back and dirtbag is very appropriate to describe Sepp’s teammates. Chris, I wrote this after watching the race on Peacock and before watching your analysis, I’ll stick with it:
Sepp Kuss has been there for both of them-JV and PR-working and sacrificing for years during their tour wins. Yet, they attack him whenever the opportunity arises, instead of helping him to control things. With 1.9 km remaining Sepp was at his limit, and from the video it shows him talking on the mic, presumably letting them know-to slow down. JV looks behind at Sepp and keeps going with PR who is drilling it unnecessarily. And Jumbo’s boss is full of it when he said they weren’t attacking. I saw it with my own eyes, are you kidding me? I hope they come to their ethical senses and support Sepp for the win otherwise in my book, it’s total betrayal. Ironically, we can thank Mikel Landa, an adversary, for keeping Sepp in the red jersey-not his teammates. Totally disgraceful on Jumbo’s part.
By "them", I hope you mean the team managers, Sepp does not talk to the other riders over his radio. So, he couldn't have told anyone to slow down. He was telling them he's cooked and won't be able to hold their wheel.
Jumbo in a predicament. All the leaders are chasing history. Roglic for his 4th, JV for his double grand. And Sepp deserves his 1st after supporting them for so long. You can't be a groomsman forever
I’m not familiar with radio communications within the Jumbo team (them). However, from my experiences with mobile radios it depends on the the distance between the receivers. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that JV glanced back after Sepp spoke; more than likely JV heard him. But I can’t be 100% sure, but it’s sure suspicious.
To follow up, both Roglic and JV have said that they want Kuss to win. Their actions have said otherwise.
We look forward to your coverage everyday! All day today we kept looking to see if you posted yet. LOL We agree with you! (Watching from Colorado.)
Great to see Sean Kelly call out Jumbo and their tactics today on GCN.
I really enjoyed today's edition. Another tour de force by my favorite racing expert. Five stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Glad you’re feeling better Chris!
“Put something in his front wheel” LMAO! Love it Chris! 👍👊
I agree with Chris, it's a no no for team mates to attack their leader. They didn't wait for him when he got dropped knowing he could lose the race. Luckily Landa contributed to the chase with Kuss and helped him keep the leaders jersey. I also think Landa is a fair rider and not one for dirty tactics as employed by Roglic and Vingegaard who showed a complete lack of respect for their loyal domestique!
"I agree with Chris, it's a no no for team mates to attack their leader. They didn't wait for him when he got dropped knowing he could lose the race. Luckily Landa contributed to the chase with Kuss and helped him keep the leaders jersey. I also think Landa is a fair rider and not one for dirty tactics as employed by Roglic and Vingegaard who showed a complete lack of respect for their loyal domestique!"
Kuss "attacked" his better GC placed team mate Vingegaard on stage 6, that is partially the reason he's in the red jersey.
Is Kuss an illoyal domestique that deserves no respect?
Kuss is not a leader in TJV so no
@@nt78stonewobble Kuss went in the break under team orders.
to suggest that Jonas and Roglic being captains and 2nd and 3rd should suddenly act as domeistiques to Kuss who got the lead not by racing the GT contenders but in a break away that got lucky is just stupid. Having the red jersey Kuss dont have to be a domestique and thats fair
@@tfd6944 He had team orders to get in the break.
Thank you for all the great race coverage Chris, love this channel! 👊🏻🦋
👊🦋🙏
They may say they ’want’ or ‘hope’ their teammate Sepp wins, but fundamentally they don’t believe he deserves it. They think a GT win is wasted on Sepp and he should be happy with a podium. Pat pat, well done Helper Boy. Vinegar is way more interested in winning two GTs in a season than fulfilling some kind of moral contract. Also: Sepp is an astonishing rider. Being anywhere near the pointy end on that stage after his season of grand tours is amazing. Big respect.
Exactly. These are elite riders...they all want to win. It is fundamental to their core and what makes them such fierce athletes.
Chris spitting fire, I love it. Go Sepp !!
Well said, sir. Well said. I've been a pretty die hard TJV fan, but this definitely takes the wind out of that sail for me.
PR and JV have generally positive reputations as decent people. They’re really playing with fire here and branding themselves as villains if they keep working against Sepp.
i don't think americans should yell the loudest about being villains in cycling sport. I neither think Kuss would enjoy a reputation as the rider they let win. its only americans making a fuss about this the rest of us doesn't care who of the 3 wins. the only once who are getting negative reputation is this stupid debate.
@@AH-df3rcit is the fact that they are teammates, the best three riders, attacking your teammate is no good when they will finish 1-2-3 anyhow.
Kuss would definitely appreciate them letting him win. He knows there are at least 2 better riders. And they both fucked up today.
They shouldnt attack Kuss, he is owed This Vuelta
@@AH-df3rcim with u
Chris, I’ve been waiting all day for your video to pop up on my feed haha Ive been curious to know your thoughts on today’s stage. Thank you for all of your coverage👏🏼👏🏼
👊🦋
Chris I’m so glad you finally called this out. Watching the post race interviews was heartbraking. When they take the Red Jersey off Sepp, it will be a moment that may change Sepp’s career. It’s hard to help your teammates over and over and over again to win stages & races (when he could have left them behind) only to find when they had the chance to help back they preferred to leave him in their dust to feed their own egos.
The Dan Martin 🔥🔥🔥 Love that. “Don’t tell me it’s not teamwork, when RH hand delivered you the victory”
LBL win was impossible without that right hand/assist
For Dan Martin
Wow. This vid was epic with all that ranting…two thumbs up.
My take on the Remco stupidity is that he didn’t want to go toe to toe on the Angliru. He didn’t want to see that he might not be good enough to beat Jonas or Primoz to the summit, if he sat in, and then they went at it when the climb started. Instead he had an excuse for losing the stage. Very disappointed in that tactic.
Bahrain Victorius…I was watching that and just started laughing at how ridiculous they were. Burn the JV domestiques, as they chase Remco, THEN pull that train. But, nope.
Finally the attacks on Sepp…I am on record on this thread as saying Sepp Kuss would not win this race. And I don’t believe he will, but not because he couldn’t, but because his teammates are being absolute assholes in attacking him. No one has put him under duress, since Remco, other than his teammates!!! Pace him until someone attacks and he tells them he can’t respond! Wtf!!! This is the worst I have ever seen a teammate get hosed, and, Chris, if you read this, would you mind pointing out ALL THE TIMES a domestique was stronger than his GC leader, and swallowed his ego and toiled on in support of his leader? It’s asinine that they use an oversimplified argument, especially when it’s not remotely close to being true.
Loved this video, probably my favorite by you. As I was watching the stage, I knew you were going to light this one up. As great as the Angliru is, Jumbo Visma made it seem like an epic failure. What a shit show.
Jonas and roglic are sepp Kuss’ captains. They don’t have to wait for anyone. Especially not their own domestique.
@@dannyjensen2123 that’s an incredibly stupid response. How dumb are you? Did you watch the video? No one is questioning which riders are JV’s best, but neither does any intelligent person question whether or not those riders win their grand tours without Sepp Kuss WAITING FOR THEM. when they have weak moments. Ayuso was a perfect example yesterday; he started to fade, and a UAE team member was pacing him. Should have just left him, right? Maybe Chris will call YOU a knucklehead in the next video.
Loved the "dirtbag" comment!! You could add it to the repertoire, but it might be better for special occasions like today's Rogic/JV idiocy. Great coverage as usual!!!
Great episode-thanks for throwing down on this topic! TJV has taken a despicable Heel Turn over the past 48 hours that’s utterly trashed their reputation!
Absolute fire and brimstone, Chris lighting it up!! Great video. That's what we tune in for
Thanks for clearing that up Chris. Love how you give it straight and enlighten us to the intricacies of pro cycling.
Excellent Chris. You should be a DS. Also, in 2020 Roglic only won the Vuelta by 24 seconds. Had Kuss not helped Roglic on stage 12 (the Angliru stage) where Roglic lost the red jersey, he would have lost an additional amount of time in excess of 24 seconds. Leadership means that sometimes leaders need to be good teammates before they are leaders. Jumbo has shown a lack of leadership. It is a team sport and they are not a team and not a family.
Thank you! I've seen too many people say Vingegaard and Roglic are the "leaders" and Sepp Kuss is supposed to work for them. Like what kind of f***ed up world do these people live in where good leaders don't support those that they are leading? Being a great leader is dynamic, you take charge when needed and you support and build up the people around you when needed.
I disagree about Chris should be a DS. It would be a demotion to be one of those knuckleheads. Chris is too valuable to keep his knowledge in a single team.
Love your comment!😄@@KeithNorris17
Don't forget this year's Giro! Sepp singlehandedly saved that race for PR on stage 16!
Exactly! You are so right. “There needs to be a strong message from team management, I believe the team managers have no authority (Niermann, Frans Massen), somebody needs to say what needs to happen and they are not doing it.” @@DC-lu5qs
Well, I've loved your videos for quite a while now. I have learned so much from you about pro cycling. This is the best one I have ever seen. I'm from close to Durango CO, so root for Sepp. However, I'm guessing that JV and PR know that Sepp is a domestique and will treat him as such. Whatever there, I just love the way you are calling those two out for not at this point recognizing Sepp for his contributions to their wins. You sir, are awesome.
It will be interesting to see what we see on Stage 18. Let's hope PR & JV prove us all wrong and do everything possible to help Kuss stay in the red jersey and NOT try to pick up time on him. According to interviews, they both say that they want Kuss to win the Vuelta - well, let's see the support on Stage 18!!! Actions speak louder than words guys!
They can no longer "prove us all wrong." The best they can do is SALVAGE some of their reputations by doing the right things from here on out.
their team actions already prove their bad character.@@georgehugh3455
I am not sure if Sepp will still be in red today or when they get to Madrid This guy was a support rider in TJV for years but now shows his class and commitment Sepp should make a mindset shift and realise that he is a great rider Best of luck to him and if he is out of the leaders jersey I hope he will be on the podium in Madrid GO SEPP!!
But take a big breath now everybody .... You will get your way, so don't worry! Because Kuss has won the Vuelta! (Jonas won't ride for it anymore now.)
The biggest problem for Kuss is actually Primoz, because Jonas, until now won’t let Primoz go ahead of him. So, if Primoz attacs tommorow and Kuss, like today can’t keep pace... then Kuss could be in trouble!
So if Primoz attcacs for the rest of the race, just wait and see the two times Tour De France winner((Jonas) gonna stop to ride and help Kuss! (That what he told reportes aftarwards)
But hey... eighter way, now Kuss has won the Vuelta! ( Jonas still showed in week 3 (as he always does) why he is the best CT rider world at the momment though.)
Sepp should go up the road with Remco to take time 😉😝
Exactly right, Chris! Thank you for clearing this up for people who don't understand what's happening here. You don't attack a teammate who is leading the race, you DEFEND the jersey (that means defending Sepp...) Period. It's a revolting display of classlessness by Primoz, Jonas and Jumbo Visma.
Thanks for telling it like it is Chris! That ending graphic was my favorite part, Pogi back to #1 baby
I HAVE BEEN waiting for this for HOURS. ....I am sick after watching this stage...
Eat charcoal.
Right. Me too😬🦋👍
@@ChrisHornerCycling I am some old 50 year old guy, I don't care about cycling, I race against Tyler Hamilton in college blah blah..I had to throw up after what I saw today. why?
The number 1 rider on the Butterfly effect strikes again, Jonas should have shepherded Kuss the rest of the way... no need to leave him, unless your selfish... Hats off the Sepp for taking the high road.. I couldn't do it.. haha just caught the last ranking adjustment.. thats perfect...
JV was shadowing PR. He has second, he might be willing to let SK win, but he won't let PR get second, or first, ahead of himself.
Hehehe. Pog is back at the top! No way I can leave Jonas there after today. With out any loyalty at all. A slight bit of loyalty is something most are born with, and if you were not born with it you can figure it out by the time you are in your late 20’s. 😬🦋🥈
I couldn't agree more.. personally I didnt think he deserved the one spot to begin with since he not as capable as Pog to win the 1 Day races.. Good move on the re ordering @@ChrisHornerCycling
Compare the interviews with the racing and clearly Jonas & Rog didn’t think we had cameras at the race today. Psychotic.
self-centered punks. where's the adult supervision?
😂👊🦋
They treat Kuss as a laughing stock
Excellent commentary from Chris and have enjoyed his channel for years. As a fan of professional cycling for 34 years, Chris said exactly what I was thinking about the lack of teamwork in the last 4k. Demoralizing to watch what PR and JV did to Sepp today.
I started road racing in the early sixties as a Junior in Fresno Ca I won my first race an have been hocked ever since. Now I’m 76 and still love the sport I love your blog And I have followed your career and I have always been proud of you. Like you I have never seen such a chicken Shit move as stage 17 it made me sick.
How many of you are waiting all day for this to drop?! What do you see today sitting on the chesterfield ?
Ugliness all over Jumbo. 😬🦋
Thanks for keeping it real Chris!! I knew I could count on you!!
Right on Chris, I'm so sick of the "gift" and "strongest wins" knuckleheads. Judas Vingegaard and Benedict Roglic for the win on Team Millennial.
Judas Vingegaard and Benedict Roglic 😂😂
Someone had to say it.
One your best shows ever Chris. Love the honest commentary about your career and this race.
Thatta boy CH. This is why your content is appreciated!
i wonder if landa was actually trying to help sepp. everyone on earth wanted to other than his teammates!
SeppKuss is well liked and respected in by his peers, specially the latin americans. I think deep inside they all want him to win.
Apparently Landa was encouraging Sepp
He was indeed helping him. Why else would he come in fourth after the climb was behind them?
Sepp actually thanked Landa and said Landa deserved to be on the podium more than himself. But he needed the points.
Remember Kuss lives in Girona and speaks fluent Spanish. By all accounts, he’s incredibly popular with the Spanish riders.
Thank you Chris. Right there with you. Sepp has more than earned their support. Disappointed in Jonas.
Sorry but you should go back to that chesterfield. If Jonas wanted the red jersey yesterday he could easily had taken it. He chose not to. But Sepp needs to pedal a little. And another thing Chris it is not about how you rode years ago. They set the rules when they went to the Vuelta with multiple possible winners. These things is obvius now. So Jonas should stay 15 seconds ahead Ayuso ?
Sorry Chris. Jonas and Primoz are bigger than you ever where 😊 not sure you gave anything away, but it sounds fine. If Sepp wins it will be a gift not a win of the best.
@@aoe76You are as arrogant as Roglic and Vingegaard . Sepp is in red after 17 stages despite having to compete against his own team. Neither of them could ever do that…
I’m a huge Jonas fan, but you are right . . . He screwed up today. I’m confident that he will do the right thing the rest of the way into Madrid. Not sure about Roglic though, he may attack again. Chris nailed it . . . Sepp is owed a debt of gratitude.
Judas.
In my eyes:
Everything started on Tourmalet.
They allowed Jonas to go full gas and gain time,but lets say they have established 1,2,3 in GC and this was managable. Primoz stayed with Sepp, everyone knows.
In the eyes of Primoz, how do you think it looks when Jonas went again in stage 16 (although the battle plan was going for the stage with Primoz, Sepp words, and Jonas changed his mind 4.1km to go) and Jonas got again a huge gap to both and Primoz stayed back with Sepp? Primoz did just few short accelerations, not attacking, but he saw what Jonas was doing (trying to win with 2min gap, notnjust winning)
Do you really think he couldnt go after Jonas with Finn Fischer Black etc? I think easily.
Primoz was loosing time and has seen Jonas is going for the GC, although they were all speaking "not attacking each other.
The gap of Primoz remained, till stage 17, nearly the sam as after the TT, but what happen with the gap of Jonas?
Stage 17 was the consequence of these things and you can hear for the first time in 2 weeks Jumbo DS speaking that the riders have free hands in the stage finish (on stage 17). Things changed after stage 16 and if Primoz disnt went today, I am sure Jonas would attack for Red, actually he was getting it, but I think they have eased up a little bit in the end.
Why Jonas disnt stayed with Sepp 2km to go,when Primoz went for the stage? Same scenario as in stage 16, but a different guy. Primoz was 1.5min back actually.
Now, we will see what happens next. If they are gonna attack Sepp on stage 18 and who is going to do it. Then we could draw all the conclusions.
Agree! Tourmalet - Sepp told, the plan was to Rogla to go; but instead Jonas attacked and gained 1min over all others. Primoz waited til last 1km with Kuss! Dont we forget this! Yesterday atatck - Primoz was stil 1.30 down to Kuss. If you lead a team, you can let Rogla go (as you did with Jonas on Tourmalent) and Jonas stays with Kuss... but hey ---no, no... Hope they bring red Kuss till Madrid. If not, better they leave JV (Rogla and Kuss) - Rogla and Jonas just can not work together! Just the fact, sadly.
Stage 15 When Jonas did -1:14 on last 4km he might have fucked up right there he could have do the same past 1-2km and take 20-30 sec max he took 1:14 and today he take another -14 for GC which made him right 8 seconds behind his own buddy Sep Kuss,yet he said after stage interview he wants Kuss to win Vuelta ,call that big bullsh*t Jonas you are lying ,you could have just stayed with him on Angliru but decided to follow Roglic which still would be way behind u after today. Roglic is jerk also at least he was honest saying he wants to win Vuelta ....
I had this feeling, all the way trough last two TDF, that Vingegaard is snake, not even brave snake, but the one who will stub from the back.. And voilà... Here he is in the full expo.. Didn't expect this from Primo tho..
NO, It all started because Jonas in on Vuelta!
@@oxber3154 Roglic just wanted his 2nd place back, not the red jersey. Jonas is the snake here.Remember how frustrated WVA , when the didnt get any help from Jonas at TDF.
Love that little jab to Jonás at the end with the ranking change.
I have a different take on Vingegaard in this case. I think by following Roglic, he was essentially telling him, that he was not going to let him win the Vuelta. If he was going to try and take it from Sepp, he was going to take it from Roglic by not conceding any to time to him. I think Vingegaard meant it when he said he wanted Sepp to win.
Exactly right. Surprised not many others read it that way.
I wrote yesterday in another video that it's not cool that Vingegaard rode off twice and left Kuss behind. I got reponses like "the strongest one should win". But if a former pro and grand tour winner says that Kuss is treated unfairly by his teammates, I feel much better about my naive spectator view that the team should give the Vuelta win to Kuss. He has worked so hard for Roglic and Vingegaard the past few years, and they won tours with his help. It would suck if they keep sabotaging his once in a lifetime chance to win a grand tour. That certainly would destroy team chemistry. Not sure how long Kuss' contract with Jumbo Visma is, but maybe he should find his luck in another team. Not to compete for grand tours, but to get more respect from teammates and the team. One would think the team would have team orders by now that would include Kuss keeping the red jersey until the end.
but Chris is wrong that was cycling maybe 15-20 years ago, not today
I blamed Jonas yesterday but gave him some leeway because I thought he was getting the stage win to honour his "best" friend Nathan van Hooydonck, who had been in a serious accident and had been in an induced coma, that it was communicated with him just before the final climb he's had just come out of. But in hindsight and after his actions today I think he just used that as cover for gaining time back and going for the race win.
Today I don't blame him as much (though I do still think he should have just let Roglič go and stayed with Sepp), mainly because I think he and Roglič just don't get on and he didn't want him gaining time back or winning the stage. I always thought bringing Vingegaard to the Vuelta, unless it was as insurance in case something happened to Roglič, was odd and might cause a rift in the team, but between the two top riders not with Kuss. I bet Kuss is not thinking he should have reacted to Vingegaard's attack earlier yesterday so he wasn't so close. I think Vineyard will win tomorrow's stage, picking up the bonus seconds and going into red (even if Sepp is with him at the finish) and it stinks imo. I don't think Kuss will be with the team next season, maybe with the title sponsor, Jumbo-Visma, leaving there won't even be a team and the riders will all be on different teams.
Last week, I made a comment about Jonas probably trying to take the win, but others were talking about team work, helping Kuss, etc. I knew this would happen. They are sharks. Jonas didn't help WVA that one time either.
@@Flum666 I think it does, but just not for a North American rider. Perhaps Kuss is already plotting an escape from his 2024 contract - I sure would be.
I believe Sepp recently re-signed with JV
Spot on as always Chris! Thanks for the informed commentary.
I am 🇩🇰 and usually a Big fan of Jumbo Visma especially because they have their reputation #SAMMENWINNEN ( we are winning together) but today I was soooooo dissapointed, that they didnt wait for Sepp Kuss 😢 I know they all are saying, yes we want Sepp to win la Vuelta, but Jonas could easily have Helped Sepp….Primoz had some time to catch and Sepp might have Said to them to just go for it…..still…..who was guiding them in the car today ? I think it might not have been Grischa Niemann…..he would have asked Jonas at least to wait and be a domestique for Sepp……and on his birthday ! Wauw Jonas and Primoz what the F…. Were the two of you thinking ??? It confuses me a lot, because I know for a fact that Jonas is very humble and really wants to Award Sepp for his hard work in TDF……but now the gap is only 7 sekunds 😢 and I really hope they have a good team session tonight……to me it seemed like Jonas and Primoz was the 2 biggest knuckleheads today……they better let Sepp Kuss keep that beautiful red Jersey untill the end !!! The JV team overall want them to be 1-2-3 overall……but I am sooooo dissapointed with both of them……poor Sepp trying to smile and trying to convince the Press that he doesnt want the win as a gift…..well how about helping him along…..like Wout did for Jonas in TDF last year…..actually doing all the difference, being used as a motorbike 😂 for Jonas, when he needed it the most…..Primoz and Jonas could easily have done the same for Sepp today I think……buuuuuuuh……If Jonas wins overall, I certainly will not participate in ANY celebration……what the heck were they thinking ?
There may be more to the story that we don't know... I do allow for that. Thanks for your comment, as an American, I appreciate it. My hope is that the the pre-set plans of the team director or team manager (or maybe even some sort of contract stipulation) allowed for this, rather than the in-the-moment decisions of over-stressed, exhausted riders. Passing the blame around would help the sport I think, sadly.
Chris says it like it is. As usual. Excellent summation. Thanks.
Thank you Chris for telling it straight! One of your best commentaries ever. From my standpoint as a former competitive runner where teamwork doesn't mean nearly as much during the racing, it's easier to buy into the "strongest man should win" and "let the road decide" mentality, but you've demolished those excuses in this situation. Even to my eyes, it looked really bad when Roglic attacked, and even worse when they both rode off dropping their loyal teammate and red jersey wearer, a real WTF moment. Sepp has come through every at every test once he got the jersey, including the TT, and now so close to the end of three weeks they drop him (in JV's case, for two days straight), for no compelling reason? It's a total black eye for the so-called "team." Let's hope they come to their senses and support him to the finish, he's certainly shown his strength and has honored the red jersey--now they should do the same.
to suggest that Jonas and Roglic being captains and 2nd and 3rd should suddenly act as domeistiques to Kuss who got the lead not by racing the GT contenders but in a break away that got lucky is just stupid. Having the red jersey Kuss dont have to be a domestique and thats fair
I absolutely disagree. Without Kuss, PR doesn't win the 2020 Vuelta or the 2023 Giro. Kuss could have even challenged to win that Angliruu stage in 2020. There is no gift at all, PR and JV have won grand tours due to Sepp's work. They should be happy to work for him since circumstances (not luck - he kicked ass on that time trial to maintain his lead) have him in red now. That they won't speaks volumes (especially for PR - and I am a huge PR fan).@@tfd6944
Spot on Chris, really great stuff. Called out everyone's bulls*** with facts and perspective.
New to cycling and really appreciate you going over the “unwritten rules” in today’s episode. Also always appreciate the insights regarding tactics.
No unvritten rules. Horner is delusional.
@@dannyjensen2123please share your cycling resume?
Probably something like: Going to the supermarket and back to the couch. @@kenosisibambato1558
I don’t mind Roglic going up the road to get the stage win. He wasn’t going to gain the red jersey. It does bother me that Jonas didn’t hang back and help Sepp. He’s gotten his roses in this race. Sepp is a fighter and held on to the jersey. Monster.
Agree 100%
Good point
Landa is a better mate than his real team mates.
Guys, what help could be have been done by Jonas? It was way, way over 10 % steep. Draft is neglible there. Sure it is bad optics but do you expect Jonas to give away the vuelta to Primoz, if Sepp had cracked so badly that he had lost 1 or 1,5 minutes. The biggest mistake in my opinion was that the DS allowed Primoz to set his own tempo. Primoz should accept now that he is currently not able to beat Jonas in a gc fight (i understand that this is probably not as easy as it sounds when you are a top 3 gc rider in the world). If he accepts this, then there is no reason to keep such a high pace that Sepp can not follow. All three plus Landa can come to the line together and Primoz wins the sprint. I am convinced, if Jonas wanted to take the red jersey, he could have done it. Instead, he just sat on Primoz wheel. Remember what an on form Jonas can do. In my opinion, everyone needs to calm down and watch how stage 18 unfolds.
Guys, this is a fraternal battle between Primoz and Jonas, with lovely Sepp reaping the consequences. Primoz never liked that Jonas was at the Vuelta...
I’m surprised how fierce the reactions are, and Chris, you’re putting oil on the 🔥
Surprised? Why? TJV is pissing on the unwritten rules of etiquette of a sport great many people hold dear. It is supposed to be a gentlemen’s sport, not the shitshow TJV turned it into.
Sometimes a fire needs oil. 🙂
Thanks for bringing some reality back to the Vuelta. Excellent summary and much appreciated.
I just burn when people refer to a gift! Sepp is in the red jersey. It is expected that his team will support their leader in the red jersey. Instead they are attacking him! Sepp is still in the red jersey in spite of Primoz and Jonas.
100%
He's still in the Red Jersey and will stay in the Red Jersey
Support the red jersey.
Exactly 👊🦋
Jonas waited for Tadej after he went off the road going down a descent at last years TdF. Seems like a lesser ask here to hold up a little in the last km for a teammate wearing red.
He can't lose time on Primoz.
I don't think Jumbo is ready for the backlash on social media if they screw it up tomorrow, which of course could lead to losing sponsors and team shakeups.
winning 3 grand tours ??? would never lead to losing sponsors. that american fans are going nutz is not the rest of the world lol everyone else wants Jumbo to win we doesn't care who of them wins beside you. all this is so double standard and you all don't even realise it. This is only made a fuss because Kuss is american. had it been reversed would you have said anything against Kuss.
bitter grapes much?
Shut up- we are allowed to root for Americans. Also- this isn't all about Sepp being American, he's a nice guy and a hard worker that's helped Jumbo transform from a third rate ProTour team to the best stage racing team on the planet. Look at how many podiums and victories Sepp has dragged leaders to. Like Chris said- he's got credit for all those.
Nucklehead management; dom-oren, sukkels in Nederlands.
@@seanmccombs6321 I was gonna say, how about the double standard of Americans needing to stfu all the time lol -- Jumbo is also already pulling out of all sports sponsorships anyways, but a Kuss win might make some waves in the US (though I haven't seen a whole lot of talk about him here yet, even in Colorado outside of Durango).
You are absolutely right about everything. Thanks.😊
That was brilliant. Loved the bit at the end 😀. Go Kuss
Reminds me of when the European team director made Lemond wait for Hinault. JV directors won’t protect an American like they would European riders. There is no way they would let Sepp attack on of those guys if roles were reversed. At this point I want Sepp to change teams.
Same happened to Lopez and Landa @movistar 2 years ago. LOPEZ didnt put up with it and abandoned the race on the spot.!!!
nailed it... "it's a Euro sport... OUR sport... you come here & we use you up." Lance lost his moral compass when he decided; "ok Euros... I'll play your game & best you the way you play... I'll beat you in your drug game and then beat you on the road...10 times over." a tragedy all around for a sport we love.
Move to UAE and Tadej, this will end TJV dominance.
@@grumpy9478Man… I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought this. I hate thinking it, but I have to think him being an American may have something to do with it.
we can't be naive... esp in Euro-centric sports ... cycling, "football" , F1. @@cincydooley
I don't understand what Vingo was thinking. If he wanted to sprint to push Rog for the win, fine. But taking time out of Sepp, after all that Sepp's done for him is unacceptable. Why should Kuss bury himself for Vingo ever again?
Roglic is only 60s behind Jonas. There you go
Completely agree. Jonas should have stayed with Sepp, 100%. If Rogla wants the stage, wants to waste his relationship with Sepp, then let him. But what we saw was Rogla riding, being chased by his teammate, leaving their teammate with zero pressure from any other GC rider.
THAT, friends, is a complete disgrace.
Kuss should bury himself for Vingegaard because that's exactly what he is being paid to do. They are professionals doing a job. If Sepp wants to be GC Sepp he should sit down with Jumbo Visma. Or, for now, just stay on the wheel of Roglic and Vingegaard.
@@stoempert ok Fred.
Exactly. Why 🦋👊
If Sepp rode for Tadej, Tadej would have won the Tour last year.
If Tadej was the teammate of Sepp in this scenario, he’d ride for Sepp.
Sepp doest save Tadej from losing 7 mins on 1 terrible day
And “ if” I would not have sold my AAPL shares back in 2009 I would most definitely be retired, get my point
@@diogoalmeida4793exactly
@@jaimecamilofernandez9071 big if
@@jaimecamilofernandez9071😂! Tadej would have played rock paper scissors to decide the winner!
New cycling enthusiast here so cut me some slack if I’m completely off:
Couldn’t it be that TJV have decided to give Sepp GC already, but at this point they want to
1. Secure full GC podium for TJV
2. Get some buffer for Primos and Jonas against Ayuso & co, keeping them in contention if something was to happen Sepp
Def my thinking as well...ergo Primoz needed a stagewin...both for his ego and for his overall market value/ global ranking
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Both Primoz and Jonas have forgotten the first rule of being on a cycling team and that is you must defend the leader's red jersey. What I saw was two individuals who were selfishly racing against one another to establish who is the big dog on team. What we have been watching is the best team in cycling implode as a team. I have lost ALL respect for both Primoz and Jonas. They owe it to the team, the fans, and the sport to honor the red jersey by riding in SUPPORT of their team mate who is wearing it, not by attacking him.
BTW, Primoz must have a very short memory because there is no way he would have ever won the Giro without the complete support of Sepp Kuss.
Kuss works so hard for both PR and JV so it is insulting that they could not help Kuss try to win this one
His job is to secure the leader’s jersey for his team and I think he had done that. And more questions?
@@davidpan2405 Kuss already has it and is not challenged by any other team. Kuss could win it for Jumbo and JV could pay him back for helping him to win the Tour.
I agree Kuss is an amazing person.
👊🦋
@@ChrisHornerCyclingbusiness as is politics. Not good for maintaining 'establishment' status quo if the yeoman class sees one of their own taking a GC win at a GT.
Waited for this analysis all day!!
Thanks Chris!
Sad to see this performance from JV's "premier" ridders!
Looking forward to tomorrow ....
Props to Chris for showing all of us non-pros, the professional racer mindset. Thanks for bringing it down to Earth for the rest of us.
Good point about Sepp Kuss giving it slow on the Angliru in 2020 when he could have won that stage. TeamSport!!!
And you'll be happy to see what happened on Thursday's stage. Big Relief!!
Jonas, definitely yes! I am not sure about Primoz. You could see his disappointment after stage 16, where TJV let Jonas attack.
Primoz just wanted to make a statement as he knows that he got screwed once again by TJV. You can see that he was willing to help Sepp win, but ego from Jonas is just too big.
The endstandings in Madrid will be: Jonas, Sepp, Primoz.
Jonas actually broke the chemistry in the team, and I hope that Primoz and Sepp start searching for another team.
Jonas doesnt want to pull for someone he iz selfish he attacks twice , yesterday was his day to pull for kuss while and Roglic win the stage , what was his purpose to follow Roglic its like he is sending messsge to Roglic that im stronger than you u cannot drop me
I think the fight is over after the big stages. In my opinion Sepp won yesterday La Vuelta by keeping the red after them and from now on they’re going to respect that. My bet is it remains as it is in Madrid: Kuss, Vingegaard, Roglic
@@delightchinosengwa1431Jonas is clearly the strongest guy in this race. It was Roglic who set the tempo. That's important because the only one who made an acceleration was Roglic a little earlier on the climb. You can say that Roglic should have set a slower tempo for Kuss to follow, but it would be strange to say the least for Jonas to not follow the wheel in front of him. Roglic could still have won the stage if he had set a slightly slower tempo.
Yep, Jonas is the clown here... In the end he will cry and claim he is dedicating the win to Sepp and wanted to win Vuelta for him...
I generally don't like rich teams that buy up all the talent (Yankees, anyone?), but JV had seemed to be good guys, give wins to Laporte, said nice things - but this was beyond the pale. Stop trying to be nice and just say you're selfish sharks if you're going to pull this kind of stuff. Sepp is a better man than I, too, I guess. Chapeau, Sepp!
Great analysis Chris. Love that you move Tadej over Jonas. BTW, GCN commentators (in Spanish) , mentioned that you have the 2nd best time up the Agrilu, and that you did it been 40 years old and "sin pelo" ... 😂. I had a good laugh, and appreciate that they mention you.
You are the best!!
Yes Chris, You are calling it right here on The Butterfly Effect . I hope Sepp has great legs tomorrow and blows those "useless teammates away" ......
Thank you, Chris! Excellent analysis!
Great analysis. Spot on. And you held yourself back.
Thank you for telling it the way it should be! The vast majority of most GC winners would not be winners if they did not have help from team mates. I am sure there is an underlying current on the team for next years contract, and it will not be the same guys as this year!
I’m not sure how teams and contracts work, but if Sepp can somehow join UAE and help Pogacar win the TDF over Jumbo that would be sweet justice. These last couple of stages have really soured me on JV and PR. Sepp deserves better!
If Primoz and Jonas attack Sepp on stage 18 and take away the red Jersey from Sepp am done with team JV ill be taking my support for team UAE. Coz it doesn't make sense anymore. There is nothing left Sepp hasn't done to his teammate over the years, he's always the motorbike used in pacing for the group and now when it's his time to be towed everyone is just going leaving him wrecked.
!?? Silly, Sepp SHOULD try maybe other teams where he can be a GC Contender. Not a team with another mega superstar. There’s a line between loving Kuss and hating Jumbo, and that line is common sense, which you seemed to have lost. What guarantee do you have that UAE (being second strongest team in the sport now), with its mega superstar Pogacar will not end up in the same situation as Jumbo: eaten up alive by itw own hubris? Sepp should move to grow his own career as a GC Contender where he doesn’t have to deal with sharing / helping another mega superstar(s). He deserves that.
@@martinjs7605 If we speak of common sense it's clear that our beloved team doesn't have it at all this far. I have no hate for TJV I have supported this team like forever and I love all the riders for their grit. We've sacrificed a lot for this team. However, if ego has overcome the fabric of the team and those who have been supported over the years can't support others when it's clear they should then that's not common sense is it? There is no team with assurance even when we joined TJV ages ago there was no assurance altogether.
This is a one in a lifetime opportunity for Kuss, and even if there is an agreement, it is unbelievable how he was left alone. Thank the Lord for Landismo living forever 😍 UAE leaving the 4th on GC alone for death was also pretty amazing to see 🤔 Tactics took an early rest day 😂
Roglic was fine, going for stage and he's too far down on sepp. Not close. Jonas was the problem
@@snakeeyes74 Sepp didnt really look at jonas the fishboy after the race,he was friendly with roglic & he also picked his words in the interview,sepp is a fighter on the bike bike BUT too nice off the bike,he didnt wanna say what he REALLY thought,J.Bruneel also said the same
@@joehiatt1992 The Doping Dane is a really weird guy who comes off as being really anti social. How many times did we see Pogacar try to congratulate him after a TDF stage only to have Fish Boy (I like that) too preoccupied talking with his wife on the phone? Like she couldn't wait a couple of seconds to continue their important conversation.
I didn't really think about it this way. Mikel was improving his GC positioning and for Kuss to apologize for sprinting him says they both knew what was happening.
Why attack SEPP after all the other GC riders were dropped !!
Also...SEPP supported his two teammates throughout the first week..
Thank you Chris. You state what most reasonable people are feeling. We appreciate your perspective.
Sepp has been the primary climbing domestic for both of them for five grand tours in a row. Not to mention all the other stage races he has helped win. It’s a pity that these teammates don’t understand that they didn’t do it by themselves. It’s even worse that management is blowing apart the team they fought so hard to build. Maybe because Jumbo Visma is not sponsoring in the future, the team won’t be able to pay Sepp, Jonas and Primos, so they are willing to burn a promising American, to keep one star.
The worst part was, yesterday was Sepp’s birthday!
Happy Birthday Sepp Kuss!
You know domestique means servant, right?
FCK EM ALL🙊😄😃