American cyclist Sepp Kuss will not start the 2024 after coming down with a case of COVID, officials with his Visma-Lease a Bike team confirmed Tuesday.
officials said Kuss, who won the 2023 Vuelta a España, is not in any condition to start the race, which kicks off this Saturday, June 29, in Florence, Italy. He will be replaced by Dutch cyclist Bart Lemmen.
“Sepp Kuss has not recovered sufficiently from COVID, and will not start,” a brief press note stated.
There was no immediate reaction from Kuss on social media.
The news comes after Kuss withdrew from the French race Critérium du Dauphiné after the race, when ran June 2-9, event entered the French Alps. Kuss had told Velo that he had suffered an illness during the Dauphiné, but did not indicate it was COVID.
Kuss, 29, was listed on Visma-Lease a Bike’s Tour roster that included two-time defending champion Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert, both returning from injury.
His exit will be a huge blow for Visma-Lease a Bike, a team that won all three grand tours in 2023 but one that’s been struggling with crashes and illnesses across this season.
The popular Colorado climber was potentially a “Plan B” for Visma-Lease a Bike if Vingegaard — who hasn’t raced since crashing out of Itzulia Basque Country in April — with Tadej Pogačar and the other GC favorites.
Kuss, who finished all three grand tours last season, won a stage in the 2021 Tour and hit a career-best 12th overall in last year’s edition.
Visma-Lease a Bike, which is known as the “Killer Bees” due to the squad’s yellow jerseys, could pivot its focus to American Matteo Jorgenson as a GC alternative if Vingegaard cannot match the pace of Pogacar and other rivals. The Idahoan was second overall to Primož Roglič at the Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this month, and has been on a lone bright spot for the team in 2024, with victories at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Paris-Nice.
Visma-Lease a Bike will limp into the Tour with Vingegaard, Van Aert, and Christophe Laporte all coming off injuries and setbacks in what’s been less-than-ideal preparations for their respective Tour ambitions.
The late-hour DNS is also a personal blow for Kuss, who’s started the past four Tours in a row.
Kuss is scheduled to defend his Vuelta crown later this season, and there was no immediate news about an alternative racing calendar.
TDF line-up change
Sepp Kuss has not recovered sufficiently from Covid and will not start in . Bart Lemmen is his replacement.
Get well soon, Sepp!
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike)