Spanish Vuelta cycling champion Sepp Kuss has failed to sufficiently recover in time from a Covid infection and has been ruled out of the Tour de France, his team have confirmed.
The American was set to compete in a support role for Team Visma-Lease a Bike leader Jonas Vingegaard for the event, which starts this week, but fell ill during the Criterium Du Dauphine warm-up race, forcing him to pull out.
Kuss has been replaced in the eight-man squad by Dutch rider Bart Lemmen.
His absence is a big setback for Vingegaard’s hopes of a third straight Tour de France title.
Kuss, who won a Tour stage in 2021, is excellent in the mountains and would have been a key helper for the 27-year-old Dane.
“This is, of course, very hard for Sepp in the first place. His contribution is always very important in the team, but then of course he has to be completely fit,” sporting director Merijn Zeeman said.
“Unfortunately, we had to conclude together that this is insufficient.”
Lemmen only joined Team Visma-Lease a Bike in January, one year into his pro career.
The Tour de France starts on Saturday from the Italian city of Florence.
Source Agencies
