A few days ago Peter Rubbers emphasized an aspect of the Tour just concluded: the great protagonists Jonas vingegaard and Tadej pogacar they both had an American lieutenant, Sepp respectively kiss and Brandon McNulty (the four in the opening photo CorVos). A fairly clear symptom of the recovery of American cycling. Looking at the Tour rankings, it turns out that the discussion is much broader..
In a Tour that ultimately proved to be quite selective, there were as many as 4 American riders who placed between 13th and 21st: Powless, Kuss and McNulty themselves and, last but not least, the young and increasingly promising Matteo Jorgenson. If we consider that the first Italian was Simone Velasco At 31st place, it is clear that American cycling is on a slow but sure path to recovery.
For Brandon a podium and a lot of bitterness
Looking at the stages, the feeling is that the two in question, framed within rigid team structures, could have achieved much more. A certain unease emerges from the folds of their statementsMcNulty especially emphasized this when he described the Peyragudes stage in his own way. It was the stage of Pogacar's third partial victory, but also of Vingegaard's strenuous defense: "At the start of the Val Louron climb, the plan was for me to push flat out for 15 minutes. Seeing that so many riders were giving up, I worked much harder.
«5 kilometers from the finish – continues the AmericanUAE Team Emirates I sincerely hoped that Jonas and Tadej, not being able to change much in terms of the standings, would let me win, but there are no gifts in this sport. I had to settle for the red number for combativeness..."
Pogacar's words of praise at the end of the victorious stage were of little avail: "Brandon is a real beast. He did a wonderful job. He was really in good shape, he rode well throughout the Tour, but this time he was special."
An American always available
On the other hand, Kuss confirmed himself as an extremely reliable man, but without the freedom that had allowed him to win a stage last year. All Jumbo Visma The American from Durango (McNulty is from Phoenix) is considered a pillar. A man who puts personal ambitions aside for consistency, always there when needed, steadfastly at the leader's side.. Compared to last year, however, it was a different Tour, in which the premature farewells of Roglic e Kruijswijk they have placed an excess of responsibility on his shoulders.
Kuss, however, is not a man to complain, nor to shy away from his responsibilities. A curious anecdote occurred during the hottest days (and not just meteorologically) of the Grande Boucle. Jumbo Visma's press officer wanted to shield him from journalists' questions, advising him to immediately go and take a shower, bypassing the microphones and notebooks. Sepp, on the other hand, has always stopped willingly, accepting the increase in commitments after the tough French stages.
Commendable though not top notch
Like McNulty, Kuss is always there, at the captain's side, fulfilling his role as pilot fish even when things aren't going well. "Sometimes I don't have my best days," the Colorado rider stated, "but I don't say it, and I always give it my all. I give it everything I have because I want to be there for the important moments." And at times, he was truly crucial. It was that key that Pogacar couldn't break, slipping into desperate tactics: "Mountains are sometimes simpler than you think," he replied when asked about his blistering pace, which always kept Vingegaard afloat. "In the end, it's all about who has more."
The Damage of the Armstrong Era
Many, looking at the above rankings, asked him about the current state of American cycling, especially in comparison to its contrasting past, and Kuss's words were sharp, almost resentful: «When I won a stage at the Tour, I received more attention than I expected. Cycling is a small world even if it doesn't seem so to those who are in it and for us who come from overseas it is even more so..
«For Americans, the Tour is something unique; in fact, it “is” cycling. If you participate they tell you, "Oh, you must be really strong to be there," but all the other races don't even know about them. I'm reminded of the era Armstrong, the doping years, and many think cyclists are still the same as they were back then, but everything has changed. The hard part, however, is regaining confidence after the damage has been done, and what damage..."
