"He is seated, and I am doing like 650 watts on the dude’s wheel" - Quinn Simmons on Wout van Aert and understanding the level of top riders
Cycling
Stage 6 of the 2022 Tour de France was a wake up call for American champion Quinn Simmons. Whilst he is currently one of the very best rouleurs in the world, he recalls the time he joined Wout van Aert in a brekaway at the Tour de France and found out the hard way how high the level at the top of the sport was.
It was the sixth day of the Tour, finishing in Longwy but with a mostly flat profile and 219 kilometers on the menu. An assumed breakaway day, it saw a massive fight to form a breakaway, which included Van Aert who was in the yellow jersey. “Two and a half hour fight for the breakaway,” Simmons shared in words to the Watts Occurring podcast.
Simmons found himself in a group with Van Aert and Jakob Fuglsang in the head of the race. “Suddenly, the three of us were off the front and I am like 'well, guess we are committed now'.” This was peak Van Aert time, in a year where he won three stages at the Tour, won the green jersey; and whilst he wore the yellow jersey he not only took a solo stage win but was also fighting to get in breakaways and pacing Jonas Vingegaard in the cobbled stage and in the mountains.
Following Van Aert became a nightmare
Simmons, at the time 21 years old, was on his Tour de France debut and found out the hard way just how hard he would have to ride in order to be matching the best.
“He was treating me like he was motor pacing me. It was insane," Simmons says of the Belgian. "It is just this slight uphill, and he is seated, and I am doing like 650 watts on the dude’s wheel, and he just rides away from me.”
The risky breakaway ultimately did not work, this despite the massive power outputs that were being pushed out front. “It is not that I cracked. That was the first time one on one I really felt how good the best guys are in the world.”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
- You despise him because he calls out the truth....OK clown !frieders303-11-2026
- JV is really slighting himself with not doing the 1 dayers.. 🤷
leedorney02-11-2026
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