The Vuelta a Espana was won by Sepp Kuss, while Kaden Groves took the crown for the thrilling final stage in Madrid.
Since Chris Horner took the victory in the same Grand Tour ten years ago, Matt Kuss has become the first American to win a Grand Tour since then.
His Jumba-Visma team dominated the podium, as Jonas Vingegaard, winner of the Tour de France, finished in second place, and Primoz Roglic, winner of the Giro d’Italia, finished in third place.
Groves won the final stage with a blazing fast sprint, narrowly edging away the rest of the pack.
It was the third stage victory for the Australian rider. He was part of a six-man breakaway and made the critical move with 37 kilometers left to go in a stage that was 100 kilometers long and comprised of 20 loops around the capital of Spain.
The main pack closed in on the breakaway in the final meters of the race, but Groves, who won the overall sprinter’s jersey, was the first one to cross the finish line. Following him were Nico Denz of Germany and Filippo Ganna of Italy.
Kuss and his teammates avoided any problems on the processional stage for the general classification and linked arms as they crossed the finish line to become the first team to win all of this season’s Grand Tours. In doing so, they were the first team in history to accomplish this feat.
“It’s incredible,” Kuss said when asked about it by Eurosport. “I believe that today was the stage that I suffered the most in during the entirety of the race, so at this point I’m just pleased that it’s finished.
“It will undoubtedly alter the course of my life, but I will continue to be who I am. This is an experience that will leave me with a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings when I think back on it. It’s all just still registering in my mind, to be honest. It will take a significant amount of time.
Stage 21 results:
1. Kaden Groves (Aus/Alpecin-Deceuninck) 2hrs 24mins 13secs
2. Filippo Ganna (Ita/Ineos Grenadiers) same time
3. Nico Denz (Ger/Bora-hansgrohe) same time
4. Hugo Page (Fra/Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) same time
5. Ivan Garcia Cortina (Spa/Movistar Team) same time
6. Rui Costa (Por/Intermarche-Circus-Wanty) same time
7. Marijn van den Berg (Ned/EF Education-EasyPost) same time
8. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal Quick-Step) same time
9. Dries van Gestel (Bel/TotalEnergies) same time
10 Lennard Kamna (Ger/Bora-hansgrohe) same time
Final General Classification after Stage 21:
1. Sepp Kuss (USA/Jumbo-Visma) 76hrs 48mins 21secs
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Jumbo-Visma) +17secs
3. Primoz Roglic (Slo/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 08secs
4. Juan Ayuso (Spa/UAE Team Emirates) +3mins 18secs
5. Mikel Landa (Spa/Bahrain Victorious) +3mins 37secs
6. Enric Mas (Spa/Movistar Team) +4mins 14secs
7. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Bora-hansgrohe) +7mins 53secs
8. Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel/Bora-hansgrohe) +8mins 00secs
9. Joao Almeida (Por/UAE Team Emirates) +10mins 08secs
10. Santiago Buitrago (Col/Bahrain Victorious) +11mins 38secs
Selected Others:
23. Hugh Carthy (Gbr/EF Education-EasyPost) +1hr 19mins 25secs
31. Geraint Thomas (Gbr/Ineos Grenadiers) +1hr 47mins 59secs
49. Max Poole (Gbr/Team dsm-firmenich) +2hrs 17mins 18secs
65. James Knox (Gbr/Soudal Quick-Step) +2hrs 38mins 31secs
105. Lewis Askey (Gbr/Groupama-FDJ) +3hrs 34mins 07secs
116. Sean Flynn (Gbr/dsm-firmenich) +3hrs 46mins 39secs
123. Samuel Watson (Gbr/Groupama-FDJ) +3hrs 56mins 03secs.
