MADRID • A decade later, the United States has a Grand Tour winner again.

Sepp Kuss won the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday to become the first American to win one of cycling’s top races since Chris Horner earned the Vuelta victory in 2013. The other Grand Tour events are the Giro d’italia and the Tour de France.

Kuss had effectively secured the victory ahead of Sunday’s largely ceremonial stage, when rivals in the Spanish capital respected his lead and did not launch any attacks as per cycling tradition.

“It’s incredible. that I suffered the most of the whole race, now I’m just glad it’s over,” Kuss said. “It’s life-changing for sure. I think I’ll look back on this experience with a lot of fun memories. It’s still sinking in, I think it’s gonna take quite some time. Now, a big celebration. Family, friends are here, and that’s gonna be really special.”

It was a surprising victory for Kuss, who entered the race in a supporting role to his Jumbo-visma teammates Jonas Vingegaard — the two-time Tour de France winner — and Primoz Roglic, a three-time Vuelta winner.