Sean Kelly has strongly criticised the tactics of Jumbo Visma at La Vuelta and seriously called into question the unwillingness of Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard to repay the loyalty their team mate Sepp Kuss had earned from them over years of riding in their service.
Kuss is very close to winning the race overall, and taking what would be a very unexpected Grand Tour victory. Kelly said the way the American had ridden so selflessly for Roglič and Vingegaard for many seasons did not appear to amount to much now in the eyes of his two bigger name team mates.
He was speaking after the three Jumbo Visma riders had pulled clear of all their rivals as they neared the summit of Altu de L'Angliru on stage 17 yesterday. However, rather than ride as a trio to the finish line, Kelly was stunned to see Roglič and Vingegaard powering away from Kuss. He believed they dug in harder when they realised they had dropped their race leader team mate.
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Kelly added Roglič and Vingegaard were also contradicting themselves in post-stage interviews about their tactics and whether they would race against Kuss. He said it was "very disappointing to see".
"We see, when there was three of them from the Jumbo Visma team (leading on the final climb) Kuss was getting into difficulty. We we could see he was immediately on the radio, I presume saying 'I can't follow'," Kelly said.
"And what do you expect them to do? Slow down a fraction," he said, adding the Jumbo Visma riders filled the top three places overall and had already dropped 4th place overall Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates).
"So the danger man to challenge them for the podium, he was out of the equation altogether. But I think they went harder when they knew Kuss was getting distanced. I think it's unfair. When you see Sepp Kuss… the way he's been so loyal to them two riders over many years, many races, winning big races for them; they didn't show anything (any loyalty) there, they just kept going."
Kelly added it was very likely when Kuss got onto the radio as he was being dropped he was telling his team mates he was losing ground, but they simply pressed on and rode away from him even though he is race leader and is owed their loyalty for once.
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Though Kuss just about held onto the race lead, his advantage over Vingegaard is just eight seconds. Roglič and Vingegaard are continuing to race away from Kuss, even though their nearest rival, Ayuso, is four minutes down.
Kelly said the support of Roglič and Vingegaard was now "so easy to give in this race" to Kuss considering how far the three Jumbo Visma men are ahead of everyone else in the overall.
"Certainly going into the final climb, up the Angliru, you see the situation of the race when it was the vital time and Roglič goes on the attack and Vingegaard comes across to him . And then we had Kuss there just hanging. Like, it's easy, it's not complicated. Sometimes tactics can become complicated because you have riders in between and they're a danger in the GC. But there was no danger at all there.
"So they could just knock it off a fraction, it would make no difference to the race… and just keep Kuss with them, carry him to the finish and then whoever wanted to take the stage victory, OK, go for it. I feel it's very unfair," he said, adding "it's so disappointing to see".
Kelly said the directors in the team also had control over the tactics and they can "radio the riders and give orders", including telling Roglič and Vingegaard to "knock it back a fraction" so Kuss could stay with them.
Kelly said even if Kuss was telling his team mates they should press on if he was dropped, the team management should come in and insist Roglič and Vingegaard not ride against their team mate leading the race.
"That is where it's breaking down," said Kelly of what is not threatening to become a public relations own goal by Jumbo Visma in allowing two riders who have won five Grand Tours between them go for another win at the expense of their team mate who has never won one and is unlikely to ever get this chance again.
However, Kelly said another problem was that Kuss was "too nice" and take a firmer stance and tell the team he wanted to win and make that case - based on what he deserved in exchange for his loyalty - during the team meetings. "If you do not have that mentally, well then you're going to get flicked," he said.
