Philippa York analysis: This is peak Jumbo, enjoy it while it lasts

Picture the scene: winter of ’22 at the Jumbo-Visma headquarters in 's-Hertogenbosch. The Team management are planning the goals for the following season. 

They’ve done what they said they would at the Tour de France, taking multiple stages, the Green and the yellow jersey. 

It was spectacular. In a lot of teams that would be enough, but not here - they want more, even though they’ve eaten most of the TdF cake there’s still plenty to be had elsewhere. Like in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España…

The latter has been good to them too. Primož Roglič has won it three times already. However Remco Evenepoel appeared in 2022 and stole their thunder. That hurt. 

Thinking to their 2023 goals, someone perhaps said, almost jokingly: ‘Let’s win all three Grand Tours’.

Silence. Thinking happens, but not for long and the idea takes off. They ask Google, who confirms it's never been done. And with that, the whole plan goes into motion. 

They have the troops to back up the leaders, so it’s just a simple task of convincing them that it’s feasible. Primož at the Giro, Jonas at the Tour and both at the Vuelta because they might be a bit tired so they can back each other up. 

Lieutenants will have to be carefully managed but Sepp Kuss will probably be okay for all three because he’s that reliable.

The general discussions then develop into the politics of it all. Primož missing the Tour will grate but the Giro-Vuelta combo is pretty good and they can promise he can return to the Tour in 2024. When Jonas wins the Tour for a second time he’ll need a good rest afterwards but he can take it relatively easy at the Vuelta as he’s there to back up Primož. He won’t mind as he’s won the Tour.

Then comes the crucial realisation that it’s probably going to be a bit delicate between the two egos so probably best to confirm it all at a good time. What better opportunity than when Roglič has won the Giro and Vingegaard has his second Tour victory? The essential thing to emphasise to Primož is he is meant to win, tell him whatever he needs to hear, Jonas won’t care that much.

'We hope he won’t' comes the small voice from the back of the room and they all laugh, slightly unaware of the risks they face.

That’s the scenario I imagine happened in some form or other within Jumbo-Visma. The end result is the historic cycle of dog-eats-dog in the professional peloton played out on the roads of Spain.

If you took out the human elements involved then one team dominating proceedings is a happy result. For them at least. However, time and time again the multiple leaders strategy is a recipe for a disaster and that is exactly what we saw. 

The problem for Jumbo-Visma isn’t Sepp Kuss winning - I think we all want to see him do that. Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard aren't the problem either, as they come with their own egos and ambitions. 

The problem really starts in these race scenarios by the team not realising something will happen and the plan won’t necessarily be followed. Because it’s a competition and other riders are involved, like Sepp Kuss getting in a breakaway and taking the race lead. 

Of course, if Kuss had subsequently fallen apart, as perhaps Jumbo-Visma expected, then we wouldn’t be talking about this. 

Indeed, we also wouldn’t be talking about this if the other GC guys hadn’t looked at each other when Vingegaard took off on the Bejes finish and gifted him thirty or forty seconds. 

If Kuss had also been able to follow on the Angliru when Roglič set the tempo, then tensions wouldn’t have risen. Roglič distanced Kuss and kept going because he wanted a second stage win because Jonas had two. These guys are racers, winners and egos.

Managing them is a delicate balance between calming a bear that wants to rip things apart, and caring for children who have a sore head.

I can hear the excuses from all sides and in the middle is Sepp Kuss; reliable, likeable, amiable. He’s the quiet caring bear, happy to help, and now he has some ambition other than being the faithful lieutenant. Rightly so.

For the Jumbo-Visma management, it’s gone from historic to catastrophic in a few unregulated moves. There’s bad press formulating, accusations will surely follow of who said what and who did what – or even worse, who didn’t do as they said.

We’ve been here before on so many occasions: Team Sky with Froome/Wiggins, Contador and Armstrong, Hinault versus Lemond, yada, yada, yada. 

It’s predictable because however good the structures and programmes that keep the leaders apart when they are on the same team, it eventually becomes personal. 

Until the Vuelta Jumbo-Visma has avoided it becoming so, but you get the feeling that the ambitions of some are beginning to stamp on the feet of others.

Is this Peak Jumbo-Visma? If so enjoy it while it lasts because it never does for long.