Hundreds of fans welcomed Sepp Kuss back to his hometown of Durango in Colorado to celebrate his Vuelta a España victory, the first North American Grand Tour success for a decade.
The aptly nicknamed ‘Eagle of Durango’ received a hero’s reception in Buckley Park with a huge crowd gathered to meet, listen to and even ride with Kuss throughout a celebratory afternoon.
Kuss’ cycling career came full circle as Durango Devo, the mountain bike development program that started his journey, hosted the homecoming celebration.
Kuss cut his teeth there as a youth on the trails before his rise to the WorldTour. His success is inspiration for all the young children who came to meet their local legend.
“It’s definitely surreal,” said Kuss to The Durango Herald and reporters at the Durango Cyclery.
“First off, I never expected to be in this position. But at the same time, it’s not a dream come true because it's something I never dreamed of, never expected.
“During the race, it became more real, the prospect of winning the Vuelta, but I always tried to keep myself distanced from that thought because so much can happen.”
Kuss moved into the red jersey on stage 8 of the Vuelta thanks to the time gained after his stage 6 victory up to the Observatorio Astrofísico de Javalambre.
He then had the arduous task of holding it all the way to Madrid with teammates Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard as the most imminent threats.
Kuss withstood all the pressure placed on him, even from his teammates, to take a maiden Grand Tour victory after many years of ‘super-domestique’ work for the aforementioned Roglič and Vingegaard.
His victory completed a historic Grand Tour triple for Jumbo-Visma, adding to Roglič’s Giro d’Italia victory and Vingegaard’s second successive Tour de France triumph.
Kuss was a key part of both squads, completing all the three-week tours and winning one - the first and only rider to do so since Gastone Nencini in 1957.
Hundreds queued to meet Kuss in Durango and have pictures signed after the bike parade on Main Avenue. Kuss returned to his roots on a Cervelo mountain bike, pairing his red jersey with jeans and bright running trainers as he rode with Durango Devo youth cyclists and then the general public through the town.
“It was really special and I hope to be a good role model for the community and try and be as much of a part of the community as possible while I live overseas,” said Kuss, now a native of Andorra.
“I have my life over there, but I always feel a part of the Durango community.”
Kuss beamed with pride throughout the day and was understandably emotional about the homecoming, surprised by the whole town’s gratification and happy to address Durango’s importance in his rise to cycling’s upper echelons.
“I never expected that level of pride that everyone was showing in Durango,” said Kuss.
“For me, that was really moving, especially today was more emotional than crossing the finish line in Madrid because it’s just a bunch of people but here are the people that I care about.
“I’m always grateful for Durango and what it brought me through the fact of living here. Just by virtue of living in Durango, you already start at an advantage because you have so many outdoor opportunities. It’s all really good people and a wholesome way to grow up.”
