Competing in a Grand Tour is one of sport’s toughest endurance tests. Riders must survive 21 days of racing, around 3,500km (2,200 miles), in all manner of weather and across difficult terrain.
Therefore, it takes a superhuman effort to complete all three in a single season: just 36 riders have done so in the history of the sport, and only seven have accomplished the feat since 2010, a list featuring names of dogged competitors such as Alejandro Valverde, Thomas De Gendt and Adam Hansen (who did it six times).
But American Sepp Kuss is days away from ticking off a second Grand Tour treble, three years after his first. No other rider has even attempted it since 2023.
Having already ridden the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France earlier this summer, Kuss is currently in 10th place overall at the Vuelta a España — the race he unexpectedly and memorably won in 2023, the last of his three Grand Tours that year.
“Physically I feel good, nothing that would suggest I feel tired or anything,” the 31-year-old tells The Athletic.
“It’s the kind of racing that I like and enjoy. If your mind is not in it then of course you’re going to feel run down and physically tired, but right now I feel as I would if I had just done the Vuelta or if I had just done the Tour and Vuelta.”
It’s an extraordinary assertion — most riders are on their knees after just a fortnight of Grand Tour racing. But it’s entirely in keeping with Kuss’ pedigree, a man who has held the title as cycling’s best chief mountain domestique for the past half-a-decade.
“Some people’s physiology isn’t made for a Grand Tour necessarily. Theirs is maybe made more for one-day racing, but mine is completely the opposite,” he continues.
“It depends on a lot of things, but I also think, in my mind, the repercussions, let’s say, of doing the three is not an issue. Of course it takes its toll on your body, but if you keep it fresh in your mind between (each race), then a lot is possible.
“In a way, you can compare it to doing hard training days.”
This article was published by The Athletic/NYT during September 2026. You can read the full article here.
