Giro d’Italia Stage 19: Emotional Sepp Kuss Completes Grand Tour Set after Dolomite Sufferfest

Sepp Kuss launched a sizzling late attack Friday to join the elite club of riders who have won stages at the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España.

The “Eagle of Durango” chased down lone attacker Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) on the final climb of a high-mountain sufferfest and blazed solo to the summit on the Giro’s 19th stage.

Derek Gee-West (Lidl-Trek) crossed the line second in an explosive finale to a beautiful but brutal stage through the Dolomites. The Canadian’s breakaway raid vaulted him up to fifth in GC.

It was a huge day for Visma-Lease a Bike on Friday.

Jonas Vingegaard contained attacks from the GC group on the steep mountaintop finish to maintain his 4-minute GC lead over Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA-CGM) with only one climbing stage remaining.

Meanwhile, Kuss became only the second U.S. rider to complete the grand tour sweep after Tyler Farrar.

Kuss pays emotional tribute to family

Vingegaard and Kuss shared a hug at the finish after the Dane gave his superdomestique freedom to roam.

“To be honest, it was never the main goal [to win a stage]. The main challenge was to win pink with Jonas,” Kuss said at the finish. “When they told me the other night I had the chance to go for it in the break, I knew I had to seize the opportunity.

“This [the grand tour sweep] was always something I dreamt of, but every year it gets harder and harder. I keep progressing and getting better, but so does everyone else.”

Kuss teared up in his winner’s interview as he recalled seeing his family, who traveled over from America to watch the Giro d’Italia.

He’s now a full-time resident in Andorra and barely makes it back home.

“There was lots of suffering in the final kilometer,” Kuss said. “I knew I had to push it all the way to the line and I went pretty deep in the middle. But I knew my mother would be standing 500m from the finish, so big shout out to her.

“I only see her and my family a few weeks every year, and it’s hard to stay in contact with everyone far away,” Kuss said, with his voice cracking in emotion.

“It was really nice to have her there, I’m always thinking of my family and friends I don’t see so much.”

Ciccone will no doubt rue missing out on the stage win after Kuss’ unstoppable late raid.

However, the Italian snatched enough KoM points in the break to move into the lead of the blue jersey climber’s classification.

Kuss wins crushing Dolomite ‘queen stage’ of Giro d’Italia

Several stages at this Giro have been labeled the “Queen Stage” of the race, but this stage 19 ordeal in the Dolomites was the real deal.

Stage 19 on Friday was only 151km, but the majority of its 5,000m of elevation gain was crowbarred into the final 100km.

The route was a procession of steep high altitude climbs, including the highest summit of the race, or the “Cima Coppi.”

The 10km, 9 percent Passo Giau topped out at more than 2,200 meters elevation. From the Giau there was a long downhill to the “easier” Passo Falzarego before a huge descent to the summit finish to Alleghe.

With a 10 percent average grade over its 5km of tarmac, the Piani di Pezzè climb to Alleghe ascent is a brute – and a fitting end to a brutal stage.

It was perfect territory for climbing king Kuss.

Big mountains, big breakaway

The day’s main break of 26 went away on the first climb of the day and lost riders with every following summit.

The group whittled down to only a very pick ‘n’ mix collection of eight on the penultimate climb of the Falzarego.

Eternal attackers Ciccone and Einer Rubio (Movistar) were at the front of the break all day, until the Italian blasted solo down the final descent.

Gee-West and Michael Storer (Tudor) both made the day’s move and shadowed each other all stage after starting the day just 5 seconds apart on GC.

Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious) and Jan Hirt (NSN) – who started the day 9th and 16th overall – were also there in the hopes of vaulting up classification. Kuss and Giulio Pellizzari (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) slid into the attack in the hunt for the stage or as a tactical play for Vingegaard and Hindley respectively.

Visma-Lease a Bike buzzed as a killer hive at the front of the GC group all day. Vingegaard started the stage with a 4-minute lead on GC, but the Dane was taking no chances on a stage so hard.

Kuss and Vingegaard in control

Ciccone took a sizable lead into the final climb after he attacked in the long descent, and his long-awaited stage win looked guaranteed.

Only Kuss had other plans.

The 31-year-old launched at around 4km to go, caught Ciccone with 2km remaining, and didn’t take his foot off the gas until he crossed the finish line.

Gall tried to pressure Vingegaard on the final summit, but the pink jersey had it all covered.

Vingegaard and Gall crossed the line together. Vingegaard, Kuss and team Visma now have only one more GC stage on Saturday to defend the maglia rosa.

Hindley moved up to third overall after his closest rival Arensman lost time in the attacking final of the stage.

Narváez quits after freak crash

Three-time stage winner and maglia ciclamino threat Jhonatan Narváez (UAE Emirates XRG) abandoned early in the stage after he suffered a freak crash after stage 18 on Thursday.

His exit guarantees Paul Magnier the final points prize Sunday in Rome.

“Narváez suffered a small crash on the transfer back to the bus which left him in some discomfort on the challenging terrain today,” read an update from UAE-Emirates XRG.

Giro d’Italia stage 19 results