American to step up to the WorldTour on two-year deal
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Sepp Kuss (Rally Cycling)(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Sepp Kuss (Rally Cycling)(Image credit: Jonathan Devich/epicimages.us)
Known as a climber, Sepp Kuss is extremely aerodynamic on a time trial bike and only minimal changes to his bar height were made.(Image credit: Rally Cycling)
Sepp Kuss (Rally Cycling)(Image credit: Rob Jones)
Robin Carpenter, Matteo Dal-Cin (Rally Cycling) and Sepp Kuss on the stage 2 podium at Tour de Beauce.(Image credit: Tour de Beauce / Brian Black Hodes)
After two seasons with Rally Cycling, Sepp Kuss will step up to the WorldTour in 2017 with LottoNL-Jumbo.
The team announced on Wednesday that they had signed Kuss to a two-year contract.
An up-and-coming stage racing talent, the 23-year-old American landed in the top 10 overall in the Colorado Classic and Tour of Utah to go with his overall runner-up ride at the Tour of Alberta this season.
"Kuss attracted our attention during the Tour of California. Since then, we have been following him and we tested him intensively," said LottoNL-Jumbo sports director Merijn Zeeman in a team release. "He has a background as a mountain biker and hasn't been riding a racing bike for a long time yet. He still has plenty of room for development and we will give him the time to do so."
2016 was the first year Kuss spent as a full-time road racer after spending the majority of his cycling career mountain biking. He was a three-time collegiate national champion in the discipline before shifting his focus to the road. He scored his first UCI win a few months into his time with Rally on stage 2 of the Tour de Beauce.
"I'm extremely excited to join Team LottoNL-Jumbo. With a proven track-record of developing its riders and considering the great amount of individual attention and resources the staff gives its riders, I feel that this team is the best place for me to progress," Kuss said. "I hope to learn from the experienced team members and continue to develop as a climber along with working on my time trial. I'm also excited to discover what types of races suit me best."
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