The Tour de France is gearing up for its first mountain stage on Monday, following a flat Stage 8 on Saturday. Riders Sepp Kuss, hailing from Durango, and Quinn Simmons have faced some challenges, failing to mark their presence in the top 40 during both Stage 7 and Stage 8. Currently, Kuss sits in 34th place in the overall general classification, while Simmons holds the 69th spot.
In Stage 7, which featured hilly terrain, Tadej Pogačar, representing UAE Team Emirates-XRG, outperformed Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike in a thrilling sprint to the finish, reclaiming the yellow jersey with a winning time of 4:05:39. Kuss crossed the line in 44th place, 4:04 behind, whereas Simmons finished 78th, 8:12 adrift.
Stage 8 was characterized by flat terrain, ideal for sprinters, leading to a victory for Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan, who successfully defended his green jersey. Kuss finished 97th in this stage, while Simmons landed in 160th place, with time gaps of 1:11 and 4:39, respectively.
Pogačar is ahead in the overall standings, holding a 54-second lead over Remco Evenepoel of Soudal Quick-Step. Vingegaard currently occupies fourth place, 1:17 behind. Sunday’s Stage 9 promises to continue the flat terrain theme, starting in Chinon and concluding in Châteauroux.
The upcoming mountain stage on Monday offers Kuss an opportunity to shine for his team in the challenging ascent from Ennezat to Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy. Milan leads in the green points competition, while Pogačar is a strong competitor in the king of the mountains classification.
The dynamics of the competition remain intense, with Visma-Lease a Bike leading the team standings significantly. Fans are eager to see how Kuss and Simmons will perform in the upcoming mountain stage, hoping for a turnaround that highlights their potential.