Simmons is not a clean slate. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and at times stepped out of line as a youngster, for example over a tweet in 2020 about the US presidential election, and was even briefly suspended by his team.
Who is Quinn Simmons? “I’m a professional Lidl-Trek cyclist from Durango, Colorado. I’m 22 years old and I’m a real American.” This is how Simmons introduces himself.
“It was already great to be on the tour on July 4th (like last year, Ed), but now I’ll be on the tour on July 4th in a special jersey. It’s a really beautiful day.”
Simmons sees himself as an ambassador for American cycling. “Everyone on the WorldTour is. We get paid for that, almost more than for winning.”
“If the sponsors withdraw, we won’t have a job anymore. Our mission is to promote cycling as a sport.”
“If I can do it with an American touch, I’m very proud of that. I think I’m doing a good job.”
What he would change about racing, if he had the power: “To have the Tour of California or the Tour of Utah put back on the calendar, so I can race in my country and show the American fans how great our sport is.” he.”
Simmons is only 22 years old, but has been a professional cyclist for 4 years. Young riders are rewriting almost everything, including tactics, so is this good for the sport? “It’s fun to watch, but we’re making the race harder for ourselves,” Simons laughs.
“The funnier the sport, the better and the more money we will all make. At the end of the day, we are all artists.”
“It’s good that young people are stepping up and putting on a bit of a show.”
His unfortunate contacts 3 years ago are briefly discussed. He learned a lesson from her: “It doesn’t matter who you are. Even if you’re a professional athlete, there’s always someone sitting on their couch at home ready to criticize you. You have to be very careful not to give it to that person.” Extra ammo.” to give.”
It’s not easy to stay normal. “But in the end, only the opinion of the people you care about matters. You have to remember that.”
