As Wout Van Aert crossed the finish line in Córdoba with his second stage win in five days at the Vuelta a España, teammate Sepp Kuss was also celebrating with his arms in the air behind a small lead group.

And while the American said Van Aert's stage 7 victory felt like a victory to him, his own contribution to the win was no small feat.

After a long drive to the top of the Alto del 14%, the day's only climb, by Edoardo Affini, also on a Visma-Ries A bike, and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Kuss was alone with Van Aert at the top in a group of about 20 riders.

But instead of staying in the back of the pack in the mini-peroton, as many GC riders would have done, Cus, the Vuelta champion, jumped to the front and played a key role in Van Aert's victory.

On the descent to Cordoba and the flat climb, he pulled back Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates), who had fallen behind on the big turn, and brought the rest of the lead group under control.

Couss later described it as a “festival of suffering” to have to work so hard in the second half of the stage and with temperatures in southern Spain once again soaring to 40 degrees. It must have been even harder for his light climber's shape to pull back Soler. But after the finish, his joy at helping Van Aat win his second Vuelta was palpable as well.

“I always had this stage in mind for Wout, but I knew it would be difficult, especially because the pace on the final climb was so tough,” Kuss told a small group of reporters after the stage.

“But when I saw he was still there, I knew he was having a good day. It was tough to pull Sorrell back, but it feels like a win for me, too.

When Soller was caught in the 16km chase and the lead group was closing in on the finish city center, Kuss admitted he was afraid to attack.

“In a small group like this, there are always attacks. But Wout is calm and sharp, he knows which attack to follow.”

Van Aert praised Kuss, who made an important contribution with 25 km to go, shortly after winning from a group consisting mainly of GC favorites.

“I was alone with Sepp Kuss in the lead group. I guess people don't understand what it's like to weigh less than 60 kg and pull like that on the flat. The wheels gave me goosebumps and I wanted to finish.

“In our team, it's not just about winning, it's about performing as a team and having a challenging plan. As part of that, everyone has the courage to sacrifice themselves for the other racers. Having the defending champion of this race pull for you is a great example of our team philosophy and I am very proud because of it."

Kuss may have been a little out of his element in the classic-style finale, but as he said, he had the ideal teammates to contain the moves that needed to be controlled and then go for the win.

This weekend, however, the race plunges into the Andalusian mountains, with Cus returning to more familiar terrain, including three first-class climbs on Sunday's stage 9.

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