It had been 109 stages since an American last won a stage of the Tour de France. But as Sepp Kuss crested the Col de Sarenne with a slim lead over Richard Carapaz behind, the prospects for him putting an end to that streak looked solid.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider, one of the best climbers in the world, had just over 14 km left to ride. After several tries, he'd finally rid himself of the persistent presence of Carapaz to push on alone. The rest of the remains of the day's breakaway was even farther behind on the road, and the dwindling contenders group seemingly content to let the breakaway take stage honors.
Ahead lay terrain that favored Kuss' strengths: a tricky descent and rolling terrain before a short, sharp punch to the finish in Alpe d'Huez. Kuss railed down the initial narrow descent, rattling across broken pavement and through tight corners with the ease of a veteran pro who's seen a thousand such moments.
Then, disaster: Not moments after TV commentator Phil Liggett reminded American audiences that Kuss had grown up as a mountain bike racer in the Durango Devo program – a way of saying he was a good descender – Kuss came off the bike on a left-hand turn.
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