Vuelta 2023 – Vingegaard “demoted” to water carrier alongside Kuss and Roglic: symbolic image for Jumbo’s new hierarchy?

“You rarely see that,” commented Eurosport expert Jens Voigt: With 102 kilometers to go, Vingegaard followed the peloton. The two-time winner of the Tour of France had drinking bottles for his team in his luggage. On his way to the front, he picked up his Jumbo teammate Sepp Kuss and rode back to the lead side by side with the man in the red jersey.

The American grabbed a bottle from the back of water fetcher Vingegaard. “It’s really great,” Kuss joked Interview with Eurosport after the stage about the twisted distribution of roles. Jens Voigt went into raptures at the “beautiful snapshot”: “The reigning Tour winner, one of the best racing drivers of his generation, completely unselfishly pockets drinking bottles and drives them forward. I love cycling.”

So far, Kuss has always been subordinate to the two superstars Primoz Roglic and Vingegaard as noble assistants. Last July he led the Dane to his second tour success in a row. He was also supposed to help the Jumbo Star team to overthrow defending champion Remco Evenepoel on the Tour of Spain.

“My radio wasn’t working,” said Vingegaard, who dropped down to the team car – and then packed water bottles on the way back. Nevertheless: The scene 102 kilometers from the finish in Zaragoza had a certain symbolic character.

At least since the time trial in Valladolid, when Kuss surprisingly only lost 53 seconds to Roglic and eleven seconds to Vingegaard, the Jumbo double team developed into the top three. “Sepp is increasingly getting the feeling that it is possible” to win the Vuelta, teammate Robert Gesink said before the start of the stage, showing the leader’s new self-confidence: “The key is that he stays relaxed.”

Kuss still receives support from the two grandees in the Dutch team. “Jonas and Primoz gave me a lot of advice and self-confidence during the race,” said the overall leader, thanking me and emphasizing the unity in the racing team. “It’s nice that they believe in me too,” he explained, but added meaningfully: “In certain times.”

But the new and unexpected role in particular could become a problem for Kuss, as Voigt explained in the live commentary. “He’s very strong, but he came as a helper. That’s a completely different basic attitude than Roglic, a different mindset. You can’t change that so easily,” explained the 51-year-old: “I believe that Roglic is the sole captain no matter what others say.”

So is the consensus at Jumbo deceptive? In particular, the three-time Vuelta winner Roglic, who gave way to Vingegaard at the Tour and had to give up the Tour of Spain last year after a fall, has his sights firmly set on overall victory.

The Slovenian set his first mark 18.7 kilometers before the finish in Zaragoza. In the intermediate sprint, he clung to the rear wheel of sprint star Kaden Groves and, in second place, collected four bonus seconds in the overall standings.

Not a significant gain in time, but above all a clear pointer – both in the direction of Evenepoel, but also in the direction of his teammate. “It’s nice to gain some time,” said the 33-year-old and revealed that the attack was not part of the Jumbo plans: “But then I was there. We’ll see how important that is.”

Despite the loss of time, Kuss was happy with his teammate: “It never hurts to try.” In any case, the American tried to emphasize that there was unity in the team. “We’re all there for each other. That’s the most important thing,” said Kuss.

Especially because both Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) and the UAE trio of Marc Soler, Juan Ayuso and Joao Almeida are at least within striking distance of the competition in the overall standings.

But the Jumbo trio is currently in first, fourth and seventh place – and therefore has a decisive advantage: “No matter which of the three comes through, Jumbo is always the winner,” Voigt explained in an interview on Monday.

The Dutch team could make its first attempt at the next exclamation mark on Friday. At the start of three difficult stages, the peloton sets off to the infamous Col du Tourmalet on the queen stage of the Vuelta 2023. “Tomorrow there will be greater distances,” indicated Kuss and once again focused on the team structure: “We still have the three of us up there.”

The “demoted” noble helper Vingegaard, who is the only driver from the Jumbo trio who has not been able to win a section so far and is 2:22 minutes behind in the overall standings, has almost faded into the background between Kuss and Roglic in the last few days.

Of all places, Vingegaard won the yellow jersey in the Tour de France a few weeks ago on the Tourmalet – and didn’t take it off until the Champs-Elysees. It is quite possible that the Dane will make his first real attack on the Tour of Spain on Friday.

Vingegaard is unlikely to appear as a water carrier in the Pyrenees.