Merijn Zeeman, sport director of Jumbo-Visma, believes that his WorldTour team has a great deal more to offer than star riders Primosz Roglic, Steven Kruijswijk, and Tom Dumoulin, and has identified future He cites climbers Sepp Kuss and George Bennett as potential future Grand Tour leaders.

In the second part of a wide-ranging two-part interview published by Wielerflits on Monday and Tuesday, Zeman talks about the team's second rowers and how they, and others who have not yet stepped up or been discovered, will be the team's long-term He discussed how Jumbo Visma is working to ensure that the team is prepared to realize its ambitions.

On Monday, Zeman said that Roglic, who finished second to compatriot Tadej Pogachar in the Tour de France, won the Vuelta a España for the second year in a row, and won the Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour de Ain, and Slovenian road race titles, was arguably acknowledged that he was the best rider of the 2020 season.

But while it is clear to all that Roglic, 2017 Giro d'Italia winner Dumoulin, and 2019 Tour third-place finisher Kruijswijk form a strong forward line, young riders, especially climbers, also form a valuable support role behind them. [As was the case at this year's Giro d'Italia when Geraint Thomas was forced to retire after crashing on stage 3 and Geoghan Hart unexpectedly took the overall win.

"First, I want to mention Sepp Kuss, who has grown from strength to strength this year. I also want to mention George Bennett. He has really grown a lot this year.

"George crashed hard on the first day of the Tour de France," he said of the New Zealander who crashed on the opening stage in rainy Nice. He was recovering from that all the way to the Vuelta a España."

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak and resulting changes to the race calendar, Bennett was supposed to lead the team in this year's Giro, but was instead appointed to the team for the rescheduled Tour.

"If George had not competed in the Tour, we would have had a great performance in the Vuelta. We could have surprised the world," Zeman said.

"I think our strength is just that we are strong across the board."

Meanwhile, Kuss has made it clear that he is an important assistant to Roglic, both in the Tour and in the Vuelta. Often the last rider on the team, he was by the Slovenian's side on the climbs, providing valuable support and assistance, while also learning what it takes to be among the best Grand Tour riders in the world.

"Together we were able to find the key to how Sepp was able to grow so much. He said, "If you want to be a Grand Tour winner, you have to be able to ride very fast and you have to be able to recover well.

"Sepp has already mastered some of that, but not everything yet. Perhaps in a few years Sepp will be the rider to succeed Primos, Tom, and Steven. But there is still work to be done. There are still quite a few aspects that need to be improved."

In a separate interview published by Ciclismo Internacional on Tuesday, Kuss said that being at the front of the mountain races has given him new confidence.

"Having done so many races, having done the Grand Tours, I now know what to expect. I think I've found my place in the peloton and I can focus on getting to the front at key moments." 0]

Couss sometimes showed the strength to attack in the summit finishes of the Tour and Vuelta, but it was with only one goal in mind, rather than personal ambition.

"Most of the time it was a tactical play to draw out the other competitors. In some cases we could have won, but the main objective was to help Primorsch win a stage or make up time."

"For me, I really enjoyed this strategy. Sometimes I was with the leaders in other situations, but because of the more defensive strategy, I was just in the wheels all the way up the climb."

Asked about his own ambitions, Kuss' answer seemed consistent with Zeman's plan (to gain experience and keep improving).

"I want to target races like the Volta a Catalunya, Iturria Basque, and Vuelta, but we'll see what the plan is for 2021," the 26-year-old said. In any case, I want to see what is possible in more climbing stage races next year."

"I'm happy to give the team 100 percent in a race like the Tour, but I'm hoping to get a chance in other races as well," Kuss said.

In addition to Kuss and Bennett, Jumbo-Visma has young prospects such as Norway's Tobias Foss and Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard, and will be further strengthened in 2021 with the addition of 25-year-old Dutch rider Sam Omen from Team Sunweb

Of course, the team has a lot of young talent.

Of course, in 2022 and beyond, Zeman and Jumbo Visma are always on the lookout to "future strengthen" the team they have so diligently built.

"The riders we follow are always very broad and more informed," says Zeman. 'We will continue to follow them next year. One thing is clear: we want to be one of the best teams in the world for the next 10 years. To do that we need a strong selection and we always have to think short term and long term. We are a good team in the short term and in the long term it comes back to team building.

"There is very little predictability when it comes to talent development. Some players take big steps forward, others need more time."

"But rest assured I am already working toward 2025 and outlining the team for that time," Zeman said.

"There is certainly a place after Dumoulin, Kruijswijk, and Roglic.

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