© REUTERS
Quinn Simmons has shown great things since his professional debut two years ago. The 21-year-old American of Trek-Segafredo won the Tour of Wallonia. A few more victories are to be added in 2023, but Simmons admits that it is not easy as a young rider at the moment.
Vincent Van GenechtenBron: Velonews
Simmons briefly went around the world last summer when he went out with yellow jersey wearer Wout van Aert in the Tour de France. Until the Kempenaar, without realizing it himself, drove the American off the wheel on a piece of false flat with 30 kilometers to drive.
“It was special,” Simmons said after the finish. “Being with the yellow jersey in my first breakaway in the Tour. I’m not the type of rider who rides for a second place, but I knew I could never have beaten Wout. And finishing second in a Tour stage wouldn’t be bad either. When Van Aert drove away? It felt like I was driving my father’s scooter at home. Never before have I been driven off the wheel so hard, but I had no choice.”
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Simmons – who became junior world champion in 2019 – skipped the U23 category, just like one Remco Evenepoel. He wants to return to the Tour next season and hopes to add a few victories to his palmares. However, there is a ‘but’.
“You can’t compare yourself to someone like Evenepoel or a Tadej Pogacar,” Simmons told VeloNews. “I remember racing with Remco in the juniors. And now he has already won the Vuelta. It’s inspiring and cool to see someone you’ve raced against do so, but you can feel like you’re lagging behind. It’s not a fun time to be a young rider at the moment if you’re not superhuman.”
Nevertheless, the American remains combative. “Maybe it will take me a few extra years to get to the highest level. Or maybe it never happens. We do not know. But I do believe that one day I can win the biggest competitions in the world. I don’t know when it will be, but I will at least try every year.”
