‘He’s irreplaceable’ – Sepp Kuss rues loss of teammate Wout van Aert in Vuelta a España after Belgian crashes out

“We’re certainly going to miss him,” was how Visma-Lease a Bike teammate and Vuelta a España champion Sepp Kuss described how the loss of co-leader Wout van Aert would affect the Dutch team in the Spanish Grand Tour.

Before crashing out late on stage 16 of the Vuelta a España on Tuesday, Van Aert had been a major player in the race. Three stage victories, a two-day spell in la roja, and holding a joint lead of the mountains and points classifications when he had to quit were all already in the Belgian star’s palmares.