I’m not sure how you came away with that from what G said. He goes on to criticize the tactics of V and Roglic.
And the whole “gifting the win” is misguided anyway and ignores the opportunities Sepp had to put time into Roglic and V earlier but obviously didn’t because they were still very much expected to be the ones winning in the end. But now that the Vuelta is wrapping up suddenly it’s alls fair in love and war? It’s not like they’ve been turning themselves inside out dragging Sepp around so he can get a charity win.
As G mentions, Jumbo was the one with the tactics that put Sepp in red. Understandably they still played it safe with him because they weren’t sure he’d be able to make it through his third tour and hold the lead. Now it’s obvious he can except he has two very strong teammates who also want to win. It’s a complicated situation but nothing is being gifted. Teams make calls all the time as to who and what they’re riding for.
DK Media also conducted an interview with him and shared a similar sentiment. However, they noted that the interview appeared somewhat unusual, with opinions expressed in a scattered manner. Further elaboration on this matter may not be necessary, in my opinion.
I have no doubt in my mind that if JV were determined to win, he could indeed achieve it.
Danish television maintains strong affiliations with Team Jumbo, and it appears that support for Kuss only truly manifested after Stage 17, likely due to concerns regarding potential negative reactions.
Previously, it was purportedly the prevailing sentiment that "may the best man win."
I do however ponder, how Americans would react if the roles were reversed.
I believe many would adopt a "No mercy" and "Go for the jugular" mindset.
Particularly in the case of American media, there appears to be a tendency towards complaint and hypocrisy. One might recall that during the Armstrong era, some segments of American media lauded his self-centric approach.