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Vingegaard's support rider admits struggle against dominant Pogacar in Tour de France
๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Denmark /Sports

Vingegaard's support rider admits struggle against dominant Pogacar in Tour de France

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Sepp Kuss, a key support rider for Jonas Vingegaard, admits he doesn't have an immediate solution to Tadej Pogacar's dominance in the Tour de France.
  • Pogacar once again distanced Vingegaard and other rivals on the final climb of the 14th stage.
  • Despite strong team support, Visma's efforts were not enough to shake Pogacar, who extended his overall lead.

Sepp Kuss, a crucial mountain lieutenant for Tour de France leader Jonas Vingegaard, expressed uncertainty about how his Visma team can counter the relentless pace set by Tadej Pogacar. Pogacar once again demonstrated his superiority on the final climb of the 14th stage, leaving Vingegaard and other general classification contenders behind.

"I don't have the answer right now. But we will keep trying," Kuss stated after the stage. He acknowledged the difficulty of the Tour so far, noting that the Alps have not even been reached yet and anticipating another tough day ahead. "Everyone will be tired after today," he added.

The Visma team had deployed riders earlier in the stage to set a strong tempo, aiming to provide a solid base for their leaders. Kuss and Vingegaard took turns setting a high pace on the final ascent, which caused riders like Juan Ayuso and Remco Evenepoel to drop back. However, this strategy proved insufficient to deter Pogacar.

I don't have the answer right now. But we will keep trying. It has been a hard Tour, but we are not even in the Alps yet. Sunday will be another hard day, and everyone will be tired after today

โ€” Sepp KussKuss expressed his team's current inability to counter Pogacar's dominance and anticipated further challenges in the Tour de France.

"We knew Pogacar would likely attack near the top. For us, the goal was to maintain a good tempo so his attack would be less explosive," Kuss explained. "We did a super good job. There really wasn't much more we could do. On the final climb, it was a matter of having the best legs, and we did everything we could. But in the end, you have to race head-to-head with a guy like Tadej Pogacar."

Vingegaard finished the stage in fourth place, losing 44 seconds to the Slovenian leader. He remains in second place overall, four and a half minutes behind Pogacar.

We knew that Pogacar probably would attack close to the top. For us, it was about maintaining a good tempo, so his attack would be a little less explosive. We did a super good job. There really wasn't much more we could do. On the final climb, it was a question of having the best legs, and we did everything we could. But in the end, you have to race head-to-head with a guy like Tadej Pogacar

โ€” Sepp KussKuss described his team's strategy on the final climb and acknowledged the difficulty of competing directly against Pogacar.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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