The super-domestique became the headline.
Pianni di Pezzè, May 2026. Sepp Kuss won the queen stage of the Giro d’Italia and gave Visma a symbolic victory before the race’s final act. The American climber, long defined by his role as an elite mountain lieutenant, attacked decisively in the final kilometers and claimed a win that places him among the riders capable of winning stages in all three Grand Tours.
The stage carried the weight of the Giro’s hardest mountain test, with six climbs and roughly 5,000 meters of accumulated elevation. Visma placed Kuss in the breakaway as a tactical shield for Jonas Vingegaard, who remained controlled behind the front group and avoided unnecessary risks. The result worked perfectly for the team: Kuss took the stage, while Vingegaard moved closer to securing overall victory.
The day also reshaped the podium battle. Felix Gall and Jai Hindley strengthened their positions, while Thymen Arensman lost valuable time and slipped under pressure. In the mountains classification, Giulio Ciccone secured the blue jersey after collecting key points on the Passo Giau, the highest climb of this Giro.
Kuss’s victory matters because it reveals the depth of Visma’s control. The team did not need Vingegaard to dominate every decisive finish; it used collective structure to win through another weapon. That is the mark of a squad that does not merely race against rivals, but manages the race itself.
For Kuss, the win carries personal and symbolic force. After triumphs in La Vuelta and the Tour de France, adding the Giro completes a rare Grand Tour stage-winning arc. The rider once framed as the perfect helper has again shown that, under the right tactical conditions, he can also become the protagonist.
Más allá de la noticia, el patrón. / Beyond the news, the pattern.