Ernest Hemingway described courage as “grace under pressure,” and Sepp Kuss showed it to us.
As an educator, I refrained from using the word effort in describing a student’s or athlete’s work. Advised by a colleague that the word was another way of saying, “A good try, but you failed.”
I was careful with it around students, and I still use the word with caution. So while watching Sepp Kuss’ interview after his wreck-prone Stage 20 of the Tour of France this week, I was reminded of effort.
A stage win in the Tour of France is a feather in any cyclist’s helmet, especially for Americans. So, after his team’s leading racer, Jonas Vingegaard, suffered a Tour-ending injury that ended his probable overall 2nd place, Kuss and the other riders for VISMA were free to ride for themselves instead of helping their team’s leading rider.
On the last descent of Stage 20, Kuss found himself about 20 seconds in front of Richard Carapaz as he descended the last Alps mountain and appeared to be the winner for that stage. Then he slipped his bike on the pavement coming out of a tunnel, and Carapaz gained a few more seconds. However, immediately righting his bicycle, he quickly pedaled down the mountain still with a short lead.
Sepp Kuss close encounter during Stage 20 (photo courtesy The Sun)
Then disaster. He sailed wide on a right-hand curve and crashed into concrete barriers, only being kept from falling off the mountain by netting strung above the barriers. As he and his bicycle slid across the barriers, Carapaz sailed past.
Bloodied, Kuss re-mounted his bike, raced on, but passed once more before crossing the finish line. Instead of first, he ended 3rd. He lost, but he won.
In his interview after the stage, Kuss calmly stated that after Vingegaard’s injury, the team made a gallant effort in finishing the 2026 Tour. He even apologized to his wife for his slip and then horrific crash. The Internet is packed with clips of his accidents and interviews. I suggest you watch them, maybe more than once for the interview. If I were still teaching and coaching, I would use all of it as examples for students, athletes, and even adults.
Kuss accepted responsibility for his crashes as he shared his chipped-tooth smile. He explained how his mishaps happened. But, in my opinion, he showed great courage in getting up and continuing down the mountain, especially after his frightening second crash where it appears the netting kept him from a worse fate. As I wrote before, he had to have seen or heard Carapaz speed past and, even before beginning down the mountain, realized that his so-close stage win was lost.
Kuss showed so much more than effort. Of course, he and his teammates (all the riders in this Tour) worked hard as individuals and as a team. But the American rider showed us the courage forged by his dedication and respect for his family, his sport, his team, and himself. I believe America’s young cyclist exemplifies traits that students, athletes, and adults should emulate.
Ernest Hemingway described courage as “grace under pressure,” and Kuss showed it to us.
