Kuss on verge of victory at Spanish Vuelta. He’ll be 1st American man to win Grand Tour in a decade

GUADARRAMA, Spain — Sepp Kuss arrived at the Spanish Vuelta tasked once more with helping to shepherd some of the top stars in cycling over the mountains and put them in a position to win the prestigious race. we still have tomorrow.” Kuss will wear the red leader’s jersey heading into Sunday’s final stage, when cycling custom dictates that title rivals respect the leader’s advantage in the largely ceremonial arrival to Madrid. The last American man to win one of cycling’s three-week races, which in addition to the Vuelta and Tour includes the Giro d’Italia, was 2013 Vuelta winner Chris Horner. When asked how he felt about the support he had from the local fans, Kuss said with a laugh: “With each stage I felt more Spanish, but I am from the U.S.” Wout Poels beat Remco Evenepoel to claim Saturday’s 208-kilometer ride from Manzanares El Real to Guadarrama in hilly country which included 10 category-three climbs outside the capital. Not only is the Dutch team set to monopolize the podium in Madrid with Kuss, Vingegaard and Roglic on target to finish 1-2-3, Jumbo-Visma is also on the cusp of sweeping all three Grand Tours this year after Roglic won the Giro d’Italia in May and Vingegaard repeated as the Tour champion in July.