Sepp Kuss survived a terrifying crash at the Tour de France, sliding into safety netting on Alpe d'Huez. The American lost the lead but lived to tell the tale.
A Tour de France rider survived a terrifying near-death experience on Saturday when he crashed into safety netting on the edge of Alpe d'Huez, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic fall down a steep drop.
Sepp Kuss of Visma-Lease a Bike was leading Stage 20 before two late mistakes nearly cost him more than just seconds in the race. The American crashed twice in the final kilometres—once in a tunnel and then again in a heart-stopping incident on one of cycling's most famous climbs.
Coming around a corner towards the end on Alpe d'Huez, Kuss went too wide and collided with the barriers on the edge of the road. That barrier and the safety netting beyond it were all that separated him from an enormous fall down a precipitous drop.
Life-or-Death Moment
Kuss stopped pedalling as he went around the turn to find the best angle, but his wheel scraped the barrier and he lost balance. In the clear and on his own, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider then toppled, putting his left leg on the floor and sliding across the top of the small concrete wall between him and serious danger.
Kuss fell into the netting and landed on the barrier, sitting there for a few seconds as he quickly got back up to cycle again. TNT Sports pundit Matt Stephens described it as "a life-or-death moment," noting that on the other side of the red net was a “precipitous drop.”
Carapaz Takes Victory
At this point, Kuss was overtaken by Richard Carapaz, who went on to win the stage. The EF Education-EasyPost rider took victory on the brutal 170.9km trek from Le Bourg-d'Oisans with over 5,400 metres of climbing.
Carapaz ended up 31 seconds ahead of Kuss, with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Remco Evenepoel also taking advantage of the crashes to come second.
Kuss Reflects on Scary Moment
Kuss ended up with blood and cuts on his leg and elbow. Speaking after the race, he said: "It was a bit scary, sorry to my wife and my family watching at home! That's racing. I'm happy with the fight and the performance, and it was a big day out."
He added: "I was so on the limit, I misjudged the corner a bit. First in the tunnel, and then after that I was still trying to make up too much time."
Reflecting on the corner that nearly ended his race, he said: "I was more just annoyed because we actually drove down it this morning. I was looking at it and thinking: 'That's a decent corner, no problem.' In the race I took it pretty full on. It was a bit more of a corner than I expected."
Wife Won't Be Happy
Kuss finished with a wry smile: "My wife is not going to be too happy. She always tells me not to take any risks on the downhill. You have to have a little adrenaline every once and a while."
Despite the crashes, Kuss did go on to win the most combative rider of the day—a prize for his fight on one of the toughest periods of the Tour.
The stage was a brutal test of endurance, with riders climbing over 5,400 metres across the 170.9km route. The Alpe d'Huez section is one of the most iconic and challenging in cycling, known for its 21 hairpin bends and steep gradients.
