Sepp Kuss makes surprising admission after racing all three Grand Tours: 'Mentally, it was easier'

Speaking in a video published by his team, Visma | Lease a Bike, filmed at his home in Andorra, Kuss explained how the structure of a season built around the Grand Tours allowed him to find a better balance between racing and family life.

"For me mentally, it was actually easier than a normal season," Kuss admitted. "You just have really concrete blocks, concrete goals, and then in between that it's pretty simple routine, easy living."

Kuss completed all three Grand Tours in 2026, finishing 13th overall at both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France before taking fifth place at the Vuelta a España. His biggest individual success came at the Giro, where he won the 19th stage and completed his collection of stage victories across all three Grand Tours.

It was only the second time in his career that Kuss had contested all three in the same season. The first was in 2023, when he finished 14th at the Giro and 12th at the Tour before claiming a much discussed overall victory at the Vuelta a España, finishing ahead of teammates Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič.

Despite the physical demands of nine weeks of Grand Tour racing, Kuss believes the clearly defined blocks of competition and recovery have their advantages.

"I've been able to be at home a lot in between all the Grand Tours and that makes a big difference," he explained.

His wife Noemi sees the benefits too. With the couple raising their young daughter Martina in Andorra, having clearly defined periods at home has made life easier to organise.

"It's almost better than when he doesn't do it because this way we know that he goes for three weeks, but then he's back home for a month," she said.

Former teammate Robert Gesink, who retired from professional cycling after the 2024 Vuelta a España, joined Kuss during the visit and offered another explanation for the American's ability to cope with such a demanding schedule.

Having raced alongside Kuss for seven seasons, Gesink believes his former teammate has developed an unusually effective approach to the demands of professional cycling.

"One of the biggest strengths of Sepp, and that's also why he could do three Grand Tours a year, is that he found a really nice balance," Gesink explained.

"He does everything right. He weighs his food and he does his training correct, but also he has the right balance and doesn't overdo it."

According to Gesink, that ability to maintain perspective is particularly valuable in a sport where almost every aspect of a rider's preparation is now measured and analysed.

"If you can keep that balance and find a way that it works for you, that you can sustain the level and then you can keep on growing also as a young rider."

The Dutchman suggested that young riders could learn from Kuss rather than becoming consumed by every detail of their preparation.

"There's just a lot of science behind it now and everything is being measured, which is great, but you have to give that the right attention."

Kuss's attitude towards food offers a glimpse of that philosophy. Despite the strict nutritional demands of modern cycling, he admitted that his eating habits barely change during the off season.

"Every morning has to start with cookies or a cake," Kuss said, before acknowledging that his diet is not always perfect. "We usually try and go for something more homemade, but a lot of the times it's just the normal cookies from the grocery store."

And while many riders change their eating habits when the racing season ends, Kuss sees little reason to do so.

"It stays pretty much the same all year," he explained, adding with a smile: "There's always some chips in the pantry."