Sepp Kuss Eats Cookies for Breakfast and Is Embarrassed by Trophies. He's Pro Cycling's Hero Next Door.

Sepp Kuss could just be the dude next door who’s good at riding bikes.

In a new “Day in the Life” video, Kuss walks viewers through the boring mundanity of his life at home in Andorra during the off-season.

As you’d expect from Colorado’s fan favorite, it’s all pretty chill.

There are cookies for breakfast, grand tour trophies gathering dust in hallways, and a man-cave cluttered with bike bits.

His lifestyle seems hilariously lackadaisical. His home has few trappings of an elite athlete who’s likely getting paid seven figures.

The high-end Porsche parked in the garage is the one giveaway that this is not your normal guy.

Why riding three grand tours in a year works for Kuss

Visma-Lease a Bike released its “Day in the Life” mini-doc this week after its long-signed American star blasted through one of his best seasons yet.

This year, Kuss rode all three grand tours in the season for the second time in his career.

And he wasn’t just collecting bottles.

The “Eagle of Durango” won a stage at the Giro d’Italia, nearly won two stages at the Tour de France, and made a late surge for fifth overall at the Vuelta a España.

Few riders dare take on three grand tours in a season, but Kuss made it look easy.

In the video, Kuss says the program keeps life how he likes it – simple and stress-free.

“I’ve been able to be home a lot between all three grand tours [this year], and that makes a big difference,” he says.

“Mentally it was easier than a normal season, because you have really concrete blocks and concrete goals. Between that, it’s a pretty simple routine and easy living,” he says.

Kuss’ young family is no doubt front of mind when he structures his calendar.

His Spanish-born wife, Noemi, and two-year-old daughter, Martina, feature heavily in the documentary, and Sepp is in all-out dad-mode throughout.

He plays with his daughter, takes her on a bike ride, and helps Noemi feed her bits of cake.

It’s domestic bliss.

Kuss is pro cycling’s ultimate dad next door.

He’s just a 32-year-old dude who casually enjoys bikes, baking, and crushing Tour de France climbs at a billion watts per kilo.

Breakfast cookies and a stash of chips

And yes, you read that right, Kuss appears to be a passionate baker – one with a sweet tooth.

Food and food-prep feature heavily in the show.

There’s no controversial kimchi-and-gnocchi concoction like the one favored by Matteo Jorgenson, but there are some interesting insights.

Kuss reveals a refreshingly casual attitude to food that’s careful but far from restrictive.

“Every morning has to start with cookies or a cake,” Kuss says as he cuts the final slices of what looks like a huge home bake.

“We usually try to go for something more homemade, but a lot of the time it’s just normal cookies from the grocery store. Not a perfect diet,” he smiles.

The waifish climber adds that he barely restricts and allows a little luxury, all year round.

It’s no doubt all carefully considered and meticulously tracked on a food app, but Kuss doesn’t appear overly concerned about optimizing his W/Kg ratio in the depths of off-season.

“My diet is never so strict. It stays pretty much the same all year,” he says. “We eat well, but there’s nothing that I don’t eat in the off-season versus in the normal season.

“There are always some chips in the pantry,” he adds.

Sepp Kuss, he’s one of us.

No trophy room or boastfulness at Chez Kuss

Kuss’s “aww shucks” character and boyish charm have made him one of the darlings of the pro peloton.

He’s well liked by his colleagues, loved by the media (he’ll rarely say no to an interview), and adored by fans.

Kuss’ reluctant stardom is epitomized as the camera follows him through his home.

Bike mementos are casually scattered in random places and seemingly displayed out of obligation.

The huge wine bottle he won at the Giro d’Italia is gathering dust in a doorway.

His Vuelta a España stage-winner’s plaque sits on a shelf in the garage alongside a handmade #GCKuss token and a bunch of random bike oils.

“You either have a trophy room, or you find the nice ones to put somewhere, but …,” Kuss says with a shy shrug.

Kuss’ garage also functions as a bike store and workshop.

Unlike the many pros who can barely change a tire, Kuss is teaching himself the art of bike maintenance as a “hobby mechanic.”

Oh, and the special-edition red Cervélo that Kuss rode on the final stage of his career-crowning ride at the Vuelta?

Lost in a mess of a half-dozen bikes hanging in a rack.

What did you expect? A pride-of-place position hanging on the wall of his lounge?

Vuelta a España winner’s trophy is on display … finally

Kuss is one of the greatest U.S. racers of his generation.

He became the first North American to win a grand tour in a decade when he won the 2023 Vuelta a España, and is one of the few active pros to have taken a stage at all three of cycling’s three-week races.

But Kuss often seems embarrassed by his own success.

It should be considered a miracle then, that his Vuelta a España winner’s trophy has made it out of the cupboard.

The large circular prize he was awarded in 2023 stands on a cabinet in a dark corner of his home.

And that low-key position should be considered progress.

Last year, Kuss revealed in a Sigma Sport video that his prestigious trophy wasn’t proudly standing triumphant in a cabinet, but tucked deep in the back of a cupboard.

‘The biggest strength of Sepp is that he found balance’

Visma’s recently retired Dutch stalwart Robert Gesink makes a cameo appearance in the video when he meets Kuss for a coffee.

The 40-year-old believes Kuss’ innate zen has bought him longevity.

“The biggest strength of Sepp is that he found the really nice balance,” Gesink says. “He does everything right, he weighs his food, he does his training correctly, but he has the right balance and doesn’t overdo it.

“If you can keep that balance and find a way that works for you and you can sustain that level, then you can keep growing,” Gesink continues.

“That’s how you can build such a long and successful career if you find your own way to make that sustainable and not lose yourself straight away in all these little details.”

Kuss is currently out in L.A. visiting Cervélo HQ with several Visma-Lease a Bike teammates.

The event marks the transition from off-season and into the final year of Kuss’ contract with Visma-Lease a Bike.