Kuss optimistic about minimizing damage, Van Aert looks forward to rest (and then to attacking)

Once again, it was not Sepp Kuss's day in the Vuelta a España. The American from Visma | Lease a Bike lost contact with the rest of the favorites on the final climb and ultimately lost nearly two minutes to red jersey holder Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale). Wout van Aert was in the leading group but couldn't ride the race he had envisioned.

Kuss crossed the finish line in Granada 5 minutes and 35 seconds behind stage winner Adam Yates. "It was, as expected, a tough day. I couldn't immediately gauge how I was feeling today," Kuss said on his team's website. "From the start, the heat played a role. On the final climb, I decided to ride at my own pace. Looking back, I'm satisfied that I managed to limit the damage." Over the past two days, the leader of Visma | Lease a Bike has lost almost three minutes, following a crash on Saturday that cost him more than a minute.

Although Kuss doesn’t have the legs he had last year, the 29-year-old American remains optimistic about his Vuelta. "The form is there, and I feel good. Right now, many riders are in excellent shape. I'm trying to focus on my own performance. There are still two weeks to go in this Vuelta. We'll see what they bring." Kuss is currently 14th in the standings, 8 minutes and 16 seconds behind overall leader O'Connor.

Van Aert: "Rest day will be much needed"

Van Aert was in the day’s breakaway. "I tried to be part of the escape to be of service to Sepp later in the stage. Unfortunately, I couldn’t keep up the pace for long. Yates' teammates rode very hard today. It’s impressive that they managed to finish it off." The green jersey wearer found the last few days extremely tough: a stage win and two mountain stages have taken their toll. "I'm really looking forward to the rest day; today's and yesterday's stages were very challenging."