After missing the Tour de France with COVID-19, Sepp Kuss (Visma Lease-a-Bike) will return to racing at the Vuelta a Burgos today, August 5, before defending his Vuelta a España title later this month.

Kuss has not raced since the Criterium du Dauphiné in June, when he suffered from illness and was forced to abandon the race before the final stage in a condition far from his best.

"I'm feeling good. It took me some time to recover from my illness, but my preparation for this period was smooth. Unfortunately I couldn't make the Tour, but the high altitude training in Tignes with my teammates was very good," Kuss told the Visma website.

"The Vuelta a Burgos is the perfect preparation for the Vuelta a España. We will be riding on the same roads and in the same warm weather. There are some challenging stages ahead that will allow me to show what I can do, but the main goal for me is to get into the rhythm of the race."

Wisma, who won three Grand Tours in 2023, will be looking to rewind in the Vuelta after a miraculous comeback in the Tour de France with Jonas Vingegaard. Their Vuelta team includes Belgian Wout Van Aert, who announced his participation following the 2024 Paris Olympics road race.

"I hope to finish the race with a good feeling and put the finishing touches on the Tour of Spain," Kuss said.

Kuss' race for a second red jersey will begin with a time trial in Lisbon, Portugal, on August 17 and will conclude with the finale in Madrid on September 8.

Participating in the final preparations for the Vuelta a Burgos will be a strong team including Sian Uitdebroeks, Ben Truett, Johannes Staune Mitet, Robert Gesink, Julien Vermote, and Eduardo Affini. The northern Spanish GC will be competing with Timen Arensman (Ineos Grenadiers) and Tao Geoghegan Hart (Lidl Trek).

A young GC talent, Wit de Broeks has raced only once since retiring from the Giro d'Italia with illness after finishing fifth in GC.

"In addition to Sepp, Sian Uitdebroeks has also had a period of rest and training; both have prepared very well in Tignes," said Sepp. We certainly want to get a good result, but our main goal is to finish the race with a good feeling," said DS Marc Rief.

"We see the Vuelta a Burgos as the ultimate incentive to achieve our big goal. Plus, young riders like Ben Tourette and Johannes Staunet-Mittet will get a chance to show what they can do."

"We are very excited about the Vuelta a Burgos because it will be a great opportunity for us to show what we can do.

The Vuelta a Burgos will be held in five stages from August 5-9, with the classic Lagunas de Neira summit finish taking place on stage 3.