Tour of Spain - Dominance of the "Killer Wasps": Historic jumbo spectacle

By Tom Bachmann, dpa

It was a picture for the ages. Arm in arm, Sepp Kuss, Jonas Vingegaard and Primoz Roglic rolled across the finish line of the penultimate stage of the Tour of Spain.

The historic triumph was de facto perfect, the final stage to Madrid - won by sprinter Kaden Groves - just the well-deserved lap of honour. The untouchable trio form the podium of the overall standings - and ride in the same team. "I'm often on winning teams, but wearing the leader's jersey is incredible. I'm living my dream," said Vuelta winner Kuss. At the finish line, the US-American jubilantly raised his specially painted bike in the red colour of his jersey.

The Jumbo-Visma team, reverently known as the Killer Wasps because of their black and yellow jerseys, dominated the three major national tours this year like no other team before. Roglic won the Giro d'Italia in May, Vingegaard the Tour de France in July - and now it was the turn of noble helper Kuss in Spain. Never before has a team won all three Grand Tours in one year. Three riders from one team on the podium of the Vuelta had previously only been achieved by the KAS racing team in 1966.

Jumbo competition weakens

One reason for Jumbo's strength is the weakness of the competition. Defending champion Remco Evenepoel did not compete in the same form as last year, and the hard-climbing Spaniards such as Juan Ayuso, Enric Mas and Mikel Landa once again failed to fulfil the aspirations of their compatriots. "We had expected more resistance, but in the end we had the three strongest riders in the race," said sports director Grischa Niermann. His riders have won five stages in the past three weeks in Spain.

Dominance is poison for sport because it can lead to boredom. It also provides fertile ground for all kinds of suspicions, especially in cycling. Naturally, the jumbo pros were asked about this. "We understand the scepticism," says Vingegaard. "But people should know that we sacrifice a lot and work in great detail. We do everything perfectly in this team, and that makes a big difference." He is "100 per cent sure that my two colleagues are not taking anything and the same goes for me".

However, Jumbo cannot ignore Michel Heßmann's positive doping test. The Freiburg native tested positive for a diuretic during a training test in Germany on 14 June. Diuretics stimulate urine production and thus dehydrate the body. He was suspended from his team until further notice in August after it became known. The public prosecutor's office searched his home, where no doping substances were found. The investigation is ongoing. Heßmann was Roglic's helper at this year's Giro.

Another cheating topic: engine doping

This year's Vuelta brought yet another cheating issue back to the table. After Kuss attacked at breathtaking speed on the Tourmalet, was slowed down by a spectator and repeated the attack without hesitation, ex-pro Jerome Pineau spoke of motor doping. "Sepp Kuss rode ten kilometres per hour faster on the Tourmalet than the group in front," said the Frenchman.

However, the bikes of the top riders and a random sample are x-rayed after each stage to rule out mechanical fraud. This is not an argument for Pineau. "There is no evidence, but we didn't have it with Armstrong either and everyone knew it," said the former pro. The dominance of the team worries him. Jumbo-Visma denied the fraud alleged by Pineau.

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