Kuss and Jorgenson Return as Mountain Kings for Vingegaard at the Tour de France

Jonas Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike will bring a North American accent to their quest to dethrone Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France.

Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson were at the top of a Tour 8 confirmed by the Dutch “Bees” on Tuesday.

Victor Campenaerts, Bruno Armirail, Edoardo Affini, Per Strand Hagenes, and Davide Piganzoli make up the balance of the team that will back Vingegaard at the Tour de France from July 4.

Wout van Aert is a key name missing from the Visma-Lease Tour roster. The Belgian superstar was sidelined by an infection only last week, forcing the team to make a late reshuffle to its planned selection.

Vingegaard, who won the yellow jersey in 2022 and 2023, is chasing a place in history this summer. The 29-year-old will become only the ninth man in history to double victories at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France if he dethrones Pogačar.

Speaking at a full bells ‘n’ whistles YouTube presentation on Tuesday, the newly instated lead directeur sportif Marc Reef said the team has one plan: to win.

Even in the absence of Van Aert, “The Killer Bees” will pack one of the strongest squads in the Tour de France to support that ambition. But is it strong enough to squash Pogačar, Isaac del Toro, and UAE Emirates-XRG?

That’s the question that will dictate the dynamic of the entire race.

Kuss and Jorgenson tapped for superdomestique support

Kuss and Jorgenson will be mountain kingmakers for Vingegaard in one of the hardest Tours de France in recent memory.

Both of these North Americans boast grand tour top-10s on their palmarés and have proven they’re among the most impactful domestiques in the bunch.

Kuss, hot off the back of a sensational ride alongside Vingegaard at the Giro d’Italia, will be making his sixth Tour de France start. The Coloradan was crucial to Vingegaard when the Dane blasted to back-to-back wins at the 2025 Vuelta a España and 2026 Giro.

The “Eagle of Durango” has become a lucky charm for Visma-Lease a Bike having been part of all nine of the Visma team’s grand tour victories.

Jorgenson will race his fifth Tour de France in a row this July. After narrowly missing out on the podium at the recent Tour Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes, the Boise native is a dark horse for the overall top-10.

Jorgenson and Kuss might need to play both offense and defense at this Tour de France. Pogačar looks deadly as ever. Visma-Lease a Bike needs to keep its arch rival under control and under pressure.

No Van Aert, Laporte, Yates as Visma-Lease a Bike braces for super team battle

Visma-Lease a Bike had to be draw deep from its bench for this Tour de France. The team lost two-time grand tour champion Simon Yates to retirement this winter. Premium powerhourse Christophe Laporte is in the infirmary. And Van Aert will miss the Tour for the first time in seven years.

Van Aert’s absence after being sidelined by an infection is a particular blow. He’s won 10 Tour de France stages, the green jersey, and was a Swiss army knife helper for his team.

It was Piganzoli who got the lucky ticket by being called up late to replace Van Aert. The young Italian climber just raced to a breakout eighth overall at the Giro d’Italia in his first grand tour with Visma-Lease a Bike.

Piganzoli is as far from being a like-for-like replacement for Van Aert as you can get. However, it’s a switch that could actually balance a team that typically weights its Tour teams toward heavyweight rouleurs.

Will the gamble pay off? We’ll find out this July.

Racing starts with a team time trial around Barcelona on July 4.

Visma-Lease a Bike: 2026 Tour de France selection

Jonas Vingegaard, 29 – 6th start
Matteo Jorgenson, 26 – 5th start
Sepp Kuss, 31 – 6th start
Victor Campenaerts, 34 – 5th start
Bruno Armirail, 32 – 4th start
Edoardo Affini, 29 – 2nd start
Per Strand Hagenes, 22 – debutant
Davide Piganzoli, 23 – debutant

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