From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

Yikes!

https://nypost.com/2026/07/26/sports/sepp-kuss-barely-avoids-potentially-fatal-tour-de-france-crash-over-cliff/
--
Andrew Muzi
am@yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Yikes!

https://nypost.com/2026/07/26/sports/sepp-kuss-barely-avoids-potentially-fatal-tour-de-france-crash-over-cliff/

He seemed to be encouraged to push on, and had a crash in the tunnel in
alpe d'huez shortly before this, plus was doomed by the commutators saying
he was a MTBer herCOd raced at university well over 10 years ago and Cross Country which in that period of time was a lot less technical, for example
the 2012 Olympics Course is 99% rideable with a Gravel bike.

Unlike Tom Pidcock who is clearly very technical, and indeed still races in
XC and such races are technical enough that the XC MTB have changed since
then, with full suspension fatter tyres/slacker geometry that is better for such races.

Even people like Peter Sagan who is clearly technical, failed at the
Olympics despite probably being the fittest rider, but he lacked the
finesse and hence punctured the admittedly lightweight XC tyres which the
full time MTBer where able to nurse the bike over such sections and not
just plow through, which is fine with a DH or even a trail bike, but XC
bikes are much closer to Gravel bikes particularly the tyres with some
cross over.

Roger Merriman

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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On 7/27/2026 12:38 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Yikes!

https://nypost.com/2026/07/26/sports/sepp-kuss-barely-avoids-potentially-fatal-tour-de-france-crash-over-cliff/

He seemed to be encouraged to push on, and had a crash in the tunnel in
alpe d'huez shortly before this, plus was doomed by the commutators saying
he was a MTBer herCOd raced at university well over 10 years ago and Cross Country which in that period of time was a lot less technical, for example the 2012 Olympics Course is 99% rideable with a Gravel bike.

Unlike Tom Pidcock who is clearly very technical, and indeed still races in XC and such races are technical enough that the XC MTB have changed since then, with full suspension fatter tyres/slacker geometry that is better for such races.

Even people like Peter Sagan who is clearly technical, failed at the
Olympics despite probably being the fittest rider, but he lacked the
finesse and hence punctured the admittedly lightweight XC tyres which the full time MTBer where able to nurse the bike over such sections and not
just plow through, which is fine with a DH or even a trail bike, but XC
bikes are much closer to Gravel bikes particularly the tyres with some
cross over.

Roger Merriman

Sepp was riding out of his element. He wasn't hired for, and does not
train, to win races. He was hired for, and trains to be, a domestique
climber. Going downhill fast isn't something he does often training and certainly doesn't take risks as part of his racing efforts. It's
unfortunate that Visma didn't have a back-up GC rider on their squad,
they need to plan for things like this.
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From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On Mon Jul 27 20:11:14 2026 zen cycle wrote:

On 7/27/2026 12:38 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:

AMuzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

Yikes!

https://nypost.com/2026/07/26/sports/sepp-kuss-barely-avoids-potentially-fatal-tour-de-france-crash-over-cliff/

He seemed to be encouraged to push on, and had a crash in the tunnel in alpe d'huez shortly before this, plus was doomed by the commutators saying he was a MTBer he?d raced at university well over 10 years ago and Cross Country which in that period of time was a lot less technical, for example the 2012 Olympics Course is 99% rideable with a Gravel bike.

Unlike Tom Pidcock who is clearly very technical, and indeed still races in XC and such races are technical enough that the XC MTB have changed since then, with full suspension fatter tyres/slacker geometry that is better for such races.

Even people like Peter Sagan who is clearly technical, failed at the Olympics despite probably being the fittest rider, but he lacked the finesse and hence punctured the admittedly lightweight XC tyres which the full time MTBer where able to nurse the bike over such sections and not just plow through, which is fine with a DH or even a trail bike, but XC bikes are much closer to Gravel bikes particularly the tyres with some cross over.

Roger Merriman

Sepp was riding out of his element. He wasn't hired for, and does not
train, to win races. He was hired for, and trains to be, a domestique climber. Going downhill fast isn't something he does often training and certainly doesn't take risks as part of his racing efforts. It's
unfortunate that Visma didn't have a back-up GC rider on their squad,
they need to plan for things like this.

Flunky, try to be accurate some times. He is a Grand Tour winner and he finisahed a mountaintop finish to keep Vindegaare is the drivers seat several times.
What occurred on stage 20 was really clear to those paying attention. He completely exhausted himself on statge 109 when he should have remained in the peloton in a draft. So during stage 20 he simply was not up to a stage that long and that hard. Coming through the tunnel he lost focus and hit the siding lightly but which showed that he was exhausted. At that point he should have slowed up and try to regain some energy but instead he was pushing too hard and misjudged that outside turn but just. Again no injury and no danger despite that newspaper article. Carapaz, who did NOT ride hard on the pervious stage was not in complete exhaustion and could carry it to the finish.
After the loss of Vindegaare, the only thing to supply their sponsor with stage wins and they went about it entirely wrong since their best bet was stage 18. And the team was not working togsther properly. But Wout Van Aert is back now and he will put an end to that. Don'tact like Sepp Kuss is nothing but a domestique because he was the obvious team leader after the loss of Vindegaare.
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