Hoping to secure a Grand Tour victory in the final Grand Tour of the 2024 season, Team Visma-Lease a Bike is sending a strong roster to La Vuelta a Espana 2024. This year’s Vuelta will commence in Lisbon, Portugal on August 17 and conclude in Madrid on September 8.

American Sepp Kuss is spearheading the team’s line-up as the team attempts to renew his status as Vuelta a Espana Champion. Kuss, who recently won this year’s Vuelta a Burgos, will be joined by Wout van Aert, who will not only offer valuable support for Kuss in decisive parts of the race but will also be given the opportunity to fight for stage victories in sprint stages.

Kuss is looking forward to fighting to defend his Vuelta a Espana Champion title in this year’s race. Kuss was forced to miss this year’s Tour de France due to a Covid-19 infection but has since worked hard to preserve his form and engage in an optimal build-up for the most important race of his season. While Kuss recently won this year’s Vuelta a Burgos, he did not obtain a valuable result in this year’s San Sebastian Classic.

“It was a very satisfying feeling for me to take the victory in Burgos,” Kuss explained to Roadcycling.com. “I hadn’t raced for a long period of time because of the Covid infection and Vuelta a Espana preparations, and the win was a nice confirmation for me. It did not take long for me to get over the disappointment of missing out on the Tour de France, but it was still a letdown. My Vuelta preparations became my way through the disappointment,” Kuss explained.

“A lot can happen in a three-week race, and I know the Vuelta a Espana will be a completely different story than the Vuelta a Burgos, but I’m glad and grateful I’m feeling good both mentally and physically. The Vuelta a Espana offers a different course, different challenges and different competition, but I’m happy to be back on the bike and racing with my teammates,” Kuss explained to Roadcycling.com.

“I live in Andorra, and I always enjoy racing the Vuelta in Spain. The Spanish people along the route are very friendly, chant my name, encourage me, and make me feel appreciated. The fans are one of the reasons why I’m really excited to be racing La Vuelta in the coming weeks as a proud defending champion,” Kuss concluded.

Team Visma – Lease a Bike is also sending Cian Uijtdebroeks as a young, but powerful lieutenant, who will support Kuss in the mountains, while also working to obtain a noteworthy result in the General Classification. Uijtdebroeks is motivated and finished in the top ten of last year’s Vuelta a Espana.

Wout van Aert has been included in the Visma – Lease a Bike roster for this year’s Vuelta after showing interest in taking part in the race. His great hope is to take a stage victory in the Vuelta in his first participation in the race.

“During the Tour de France I found my really good legs towards the end, which allowed me to obtain a good result in the Olympics as well. I definitely don’t feel any signs of burn-out, though it will be the first time I participate in two Grand Tours in the same season,” van Aert told Roadcycling.com.

“I want to use the good sensations inside my body to secure a stage victory again and I am really craving it. Let me start by aiming for one stage win and then I’ll let that victory lead to three successful weeks on the roads of Spain. While I want to be valuable for Sepp and Cian in the race, I can fight for stage wins for myself at the same time - and maybe I can still fight for the red jersey too,” van Aert concluded.

Joining Sepp Kuss, Wout van Aert and Cian Uijtdebroeks in Visma – Lease a Bike’s line-up for Vuelta a Espana 2024 will be Edoardo Affini, Steven Kruijswijk, Attila Valter, Dylan van Baarle, and Robert Gesink.

The 2024 Vuelta a Espana will be the final Grand Tour of Robert Gesink’s professional cycling career.

Stay tuned to Roadcycling.com for additional coverage from Vuelta a Espana 2024.

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