DURANGO WILL HOLD PARADE FOR FORMER HIGH SCHOOL MOUNTAIN BIKER

The Vuelta a España is one of the three Grand Tour events in cycling. The other two are the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.

Previous winners of the Vuelta include Eddy Merckx, Jacques Hinault, Raymond Poulidor (Mathieu van der Poel’s grandfather), Chris Froome, and Alberto Contador. The Vuelta is one of the most prestigious road cycling events in the world.

In September, Sepp Kuss of Durango won the Vuelta a España. It was only the second time in history that an American has won the event. Chris Horner was the other, in 2013.

Here’s a picture of Sepp Kuss in his high school days. Kuss, now 29, is close to the same age as MBA assistant editor JJ Squires, and the two both raced at some of the same events in the past. JJ never raced against Kuss, since Sepp was in a different class, and Kuss was also on a whole different level of ability even back then. JJ thinks that Kuss may return to racing mountain bikes when his road career winds down (Kuss loves mountain biking, according to JJ), but that transition will likely take a long time the way things are going now. Kuss looks to have one of the brightest futures in road racing today. (Photo by Chad Cheeney/Durango Devo)

Kuss had previously won Stage 15 in the 2021 Tour de France.

Sepp Kuss is known as “The Eagle of Durango” in the road-cycling world.

What’s sometimes overlooked is that Kuss was a high school mountain bike racer when he was growing up in Durango.

The Sepp Kuss homecoming celebration is scheduled to take place in Durango at Buckley Park on Thursday, Oct. 19th, starting at 3:30 p.m. with speeches from Sepp and special guests. There will be a bike parade at 4:30 p.m., followed by autograph signings, live music, food, drink, and Sepp Kuss merchandise sales.

Here’s the official press release from Durango Devo:

DURANGO, Colo. (Sept. 29, 2023) — Durango Devo is hosting 2023 Vuelta a España
winner, Sepp Kuss, for a homecoming celebration and bike parade. Kuss, a Devo
alumn, will join the Durango community on Oct. 19 at Buckley Park for a speech,
meet & greet, and more.
All members of the public are invited to attend this special appearance of Kuss,
known worldwide as The Eagle of Durango. The event will kick off at 3:30 with
speeches from Kuss and special guests and a Q&A with Kuss. At 4:30, there will be a
bike parade down Main Avenue and returning to Buckley Park via East 2nd Avenue.
The evening will end back at Buckley Park with autograph signings, live music, food,
drink, and Sepp Kuss merchandise sales.
Sepp Kuss Celebration Schedule of Events – Thursday, October 19, 2023
Parking is limited: all attendees are encouraged to ride their bikes to the event

● 3:30 p.m. – Speeches and Q & A at Buckley

● 4:30 p.m. – Bike Parade: South on Main Avenue to the train station, left, then
left on East 2nd Avenue, and north on East 2nd Avenue back to Buckley Park.
● 5:15 p.m. – Post Parade Celebration/Autographs/Live Music

● 7:00 – Buckley Park Closed

“Durango Devo is proud of all our alumni, and we’re certainly proud of Sepp Kuss! He
is a great example of what makes Durango Devo and the Durango cycling
community special,” says Levi Kurlander, executive director of Durango Devo. “We
are honored to host the Vuelta a España champion and Tour de France stage winner
and celebrate his achievements in his hometown.”
The Sepp Kuss homecoming celebration takes place during Spoketober, a month of
bike-themed events during the entire month of October. Spoketober celebrates the
cycling community that produced Kuss, as well as highlights the diverse and
inclusive nature of cycling in Durango.
Special thanks for this event [are] owed to these community partners: Durango Devo
staff and sponsors; the City of Durango; Visit Durango and Spoketober; Verde PR; Ska

Brewing; the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic; Durango Trails; and Fort Lewis College
Cycling.
In case of bad weather, the event will take place at the La Plata Fairground Exhibit
Hall, and the parade will take place on the Animas River Trail. Necessary updates
on a possible venue change will be made the week of the event and posted to social
media.

About Durango Devo
Established in 2006, Durango Devo is a Colorado 501[c][3] youth non-profit
organization Devo’s mission is to develop lifelong cyclists, and in practice, this means
a lot more than just being great at riding bikes. Devo aims to foster a safe, respectful,
and conscientious appreciation and stewardship for the environment by engaging
Durango’s youth with the outdoors on their bikes. Devo strives to develop and better
the lives of Durango’s youth through the power of the bicycle. Bikes provide a
consistent and positive outlet for kids (and adults!) to hone and focus their energy.
With Devo, kids learn the power of effective goal setting, experience the thrill of
tangible improvement, and are inspired and empowered to translate these lessons
to other aspects of their lives. Devo’s goals in the Durango community, in practice,
incorporate Devo’s belief that bikes are an incredible tool for enacting positive,
tangible change in the lives of the people that ride them. This, at the end of the day,
is the guiding force that inspires all of us working with Devo. Today, there are over
600 kids in the program, 90 certified and trained coaches, and a group for every age,
ability level, and interest. Thank you for your support!