Kuss takes Giro stage as Vingegaard closes in on title

Kuss takes Giro stage as Vingegaard closes in on titleImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sepp Kuss got his first stage win in a Grand Tour event since winning the Vuelta a Espana in 2023ByMichael EmonsBBC Sport journalistPublished2 minutes agoAmerican Sepp Kuss claimed his first Giro d'Italia stage win as team-mate Jonas Vingegaard moved closer to overall general classification victory.On the 19th of 21 stages, the 31-year-old Kuss - the 2023 Vuelta a Espana winner - took the lead with 2km to go when he caught long-time leader Giulio Ciccone.He also won one of the individual stages in the 2021 Tour de France and became only the 116th rider to have a stage victory in each of the three Grand Tour events."The main challenge is to win the pink jersey with Jonas, and so far it's looking good," said Kuss, who rides for the Visma-Lease A Bike team."When they told me the other night I had the chance to go in the break I knew I had to seize the opportunity. This is something I've always dreamed of."Every year it gets harder and harder. I keep getting better, but so does everyone else. To win a stage at the Giro, I just can't believe it."At the bottom of the climb, he [Ciccone] had one-minute [lead] and I thought it was over. I just tried to focus on doing the finest climb as possible and I knew I had to push it all the way to the line."I knew my mother was going to be there standing 500 metres from the finish so a big shout out to her and my family. I only see them a few weeks every year so it's really nice to have her and my friends there so this is for them."Stage 19 was a 151-km mountain stage from Feltre to Alleghe and Canada's Derek Gee-West finished second, 13 seconds behind Kuss, with Italian Ciccone a further 23 seconds back in third place.Austrian Felix Gall came fourth, 39 seconds off the lead with Vingegaard coming fifth in the same time.That meant Denmark's Vingegaard, who has twice won t...