Vuelta review: Jumbo boss Richard Plugge on their leadership furore, Remco on being better in 2024, & Geraint Thomas on "stagnation" at Ineos

RadioCycling

The Vuelta a España may be done, but it's not yet dusted. These are RadioCycling's headlines following one of the most controversy-hit Grand Tours in recent memory...
Vuelta wash-up: did the best man win? We examine whether Jumbo-Visma's overdue and belated selection of Sepp Kuss as the team's leader was a sporting or a marketing decision, and hear from the man who made it, Richard Plugge, who insists that social media pressure didn't play a role in them deciding to back the American and that everyone on the team buys into their #Samenwinnen (winning together) ethos.
Slovenian sulk: will Primož Roglic ever get over it? Jumbo-Visma did all they could to present a united front, but the Slovenian said he had his "own thoughts" on his team's tactics. Was Roglič hard done by? And to what extent did the failings of rival teams and riders push Jumbo-Visma into a totally unprecedented leadership dilemma?
Remco Evenepoel looks ahead to 2024: He may not have defended the Vuelta title he won last year, but the 23yo Belgian still came away from the race with his reputation heightened. With a Tour de France debut now in his sights for next season, Evenepoel tells us what needs to be done within his Soudal-QuickStep team to ensure that he can contend for the yellow jersey.
Ineos Grenadiers blown away: After finishing without a Grand Tour victory for the second year in succession, we hear a candid assessment of the British team's performances from their Welsh leader Geraint Thomas, who confesses that they've been affected by "stagnation", triggered by the loss of several key staffers. Thomas adds, though, that a change for the better is already taking place.

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