Selena Blake

@JumboVismaRoad SEPPTEMBER!

@CarloVermeulen4 @writebikerepeat Yeah, I’ve always struggled with this. 100% odd.

@writebikerepeat This is what you get when you let contestants enter as a team, but only declare one guy the winner. Imagine what would happen in any other team sport if points were personal and the guy who scores the most points would become world champion.

I can't get my head around this. Is cycling a sport where teams support one another or is it every man for himself? It can't be both and Twitter seems totally divided on which is the correct answer. It's breaking my brain 😭

@scasi360 @writebikerepeat That’s likely bc this sport is sponsor based and no team has been around as long as many football teams. We have no one to consistently rally behind except for riders.

@writebikerepeat What do you remember better: Indurain or Banesto? Lance or USP? Froome or Sky? Ulrich or Telekom? Its a team sport, but the winner takes the glory and gets a place in the books. Tough reality. Totally different from football (for me at least).

@writebikerepeat I’m right there with you. It’s like we woke up in the twilight zone.

@AndyCoys2 @Diedhein @AndreasCycleMN @JumboVismaRoad If Primoz and Jonas were on a different team, I would understand and agree with your point. But for the 17 years I’ve been into this sport, the rule has always been, if you have the jersey, you ride for the jersey. Sepp is riding hard and has gifted P/J with how many GT wins? 6-7

🇪🇸 #LaVuelta23 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝. Happy faces all over! 🥰

@CharleneClair @Faust0w @millarmind @seppkuss Exactly. That math isn’t mathing. There’s more to being the “best” than legs on a single day. Recovery, interviews, tactics and oh yeah, TEAM. Sepp has handled it all very well, without much support. Can’t say the same for the “team leaders.”

But Sepp would be comfortably leading if he had two domestiques more. So he has to win this GC with less domestiques than the others, don’t you think that’s odd? Again, if we use your argument, Jonas you was the best rider in the Tour. Don’t you agree that he wouldn’t have won it if he would’ve had to do it with just 5 domestiques and without Sepp and Wout?

I just don’t understand why they wouldn’t wait for @seppkuss - I’ve watched Sepp ride for them countless times while commentating these past years, I’m a huge fan of his. He’s class. I didn’t enjoy watching that today, and I love bike racing, it made me feel 😞😡 #notclass

@Faust0w @CharleneClair @millarmind @seppkuss Given that I’m a professional story teller, I vote for the best story.

@CharleneClair @millarmind @seppkuss It's a simple matter really. Do you want the best rider to win, or do you want the best story? In this scenario you can't have both. Jumbo went into this Vuelta with the rule that they would let the strongest win. It's not kindergarten where it's all love and hugs.

@CharleneClair @Faust0w @millarmind @seppkuss 100% this! This is what I don’t understand about the counter arguements. Is this a team sport or not? Sepp is having to ride like this is a time trial and the others are riding team. He’s riding with an arm tied behind his back.

@Faust0w @millarmind @seppkuss So Sepp needs to win the GC without help, bc he’s a domestique. While the other two do get the help of 7 riders to win their grand tours? Like Jonas would’ve won the tour without Wout, Sepp and Primoz…

@Faust0w @millarmind @seppkuss So all those times Sepp hauled a team leader up a mountain, he should have dropped them bc they were weaker that day. Got it.

@millarmind @seppkuss I agree. It was miserable. Hard to watch. It's just a weird situation. But as I see it, there is a lot of integrity lost if you clearly pick a weaker rider to win because of feelings. One of the reasons I love cycling is because of it's ruthlessness. Weak? You get dropped.

@Faust0w @millarmind @seppkuss We do base things on past merits, tho. A team hires someone like Jonas or Evenepoel bc he has won tours before. They look at all kinds of things. Does he crack after the second rest day? Is he a team player? Can he time trial?

@millarmind @seppkuss Honest question. Do you want the weakest of the three to win? Is it not elite sports? I understand the feelings behind your statement, but to me that is just turning the race into a reality show where the winner is chosen based on past merits.

Are we taking bets as to what team Sepp Kuss will be on next season? Bc he deserves better.

@KOSTerru @Diedhein @AndreasCycleMN @JumboVismaRoad Absolutely this. Is this a team sport or a time trial? Make up your mind.

@Diedhein @AndreasCycleMN @JumboVismaRoad Well it should be every man for himself and no help from domestiques then?

@Diedhein @AndreasCycleMN @JumboVismaRoad So sportsmen are cruel and abusive? With permission? Is that your point?

@AndreasCycleMN @JumboVismaRoad That's all very empathetic and I would agree with you, but I'm afraid that's not how the minds of sportsmen work. If you can win a big tour, you'll go for it. My estimate is Vingegaard will win the Vuelta.

@harts_cyclery @BarryHambly @Laura_Meseguer What does being cutthroat have to do with his ability to ride a bike? He obviously wants it. He raced for third. Because he felt bad about that doesn’t make him less deserving, imo.

@BarryHambly @Laura_Meseguer It says a lot about why Kuss isn't a team leader, even when he's leading a race.

Sepp Kuss came directly to Mikel Landa at the finish to apologise for sprinting him on the line. It’s not in the images but he said he was sorry and that it wasn’t his style: “I didn’t want to do it, but I had to take the bonus seconds”. Landa tells us that it says a lot about him and that he appreciates his words. Every day it’s a good opportunity to find an inspiration in the values of this sport. Today the best demonstration of respect we found it between those two riders. 🎥 @eurosport #LaVuelta23

@harts_cyclery @michaelpsoria @Laura_Meseguer That’s not how Sepp is though. Have you noticed how he comes across the line talking to everyone?

@michaelpsoria @Laura_Meseguer Haha. Chill. I can, but there's a time and a place. Thank him at the after party. Try and be a we bit ruthless in the game 🤷‍♂️

Wait, so this is how it’s supposed to work? You ride for red? Shocking!

@eurosport Well said G. Those two are gonna have a hard time finding quality domestiques after this. Gonna be more expensive for the team.

"I feel for Kuss... he deserves a bit more respect." Geraint Thomas hopes Sepp Kuss can go all the way! 🏆 #LaVuelta23

@carltonkirby Why didn’t Primoz dedicate his win to Sepp? 🤣🤪🥴

🥶🥊

@JumboVismaRoad I’d hate to be the PR department for this team’s sponsors. Y’all have a storm headed your way.