Two Crashes Tear A Near-Certain Victory Away From Sepp Kuss

Sepp Kuss came within kilometres of winning the Tour de France queen stage, only for two crashes to turn a possible celebration into one of the cruellest finishes of the race. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider was alone at the front after attacking on the Col de Sarenne, but lost control twice during the technical run towards Alpe d’Huez.

Kuss had emerged as one of the strongest members of the 14-rider breakaway. He accelerated with 17.4 kilometres remaining, distanced Richard Carapaz and Jai Hindley, and reached the summit of Sarenne with a lead of roughly 20 seconds. With his climbing form and a short final ascent still ahead, the American appeared to be in control.

The first crash occurred with 7.1 kilometres to go, when Kuss hit a high kerb while leaving a dark tunnel. He remounted quickly, but fell again around two kilometres later on a fast and technical bend. A concrete barrier and a safety net prevented him from going over the edge of the mountain road.

Carapaz passed while Kuss was getting back on his bike and immediately opened a gap. The American continued despite the two impacts and tried to limit the loss, but the rhythm and confidence required to win had disappeared.

Kuss reached the final climb in pursuit of Carapaz, only to be overtaken by Remco Evenepoel in the last 500 metres. He still finished third, 31 seconds behind the winner and just five seconds behind the Belgian.

There was no immediate indication of a serious injury, although the rider and his team will assess the physical consequences of both crashes. The result is nevertheless a painful one: five years after his last Tour stage victory, Kuss had the queen stage within reach before it slipped away in a matter of minutes.