"He wanted me to win some races for him before he left the team" - Simmons dedicates USA National Championships win to Guercilena

Quinn Simmons has plenty to be happy about after securing his third United States national champion's jersey last Sunday. Not only will the Lidl-Trek rider be once again at the Tour de France in the stripes and stars, but he got to fulfil a big wish for outgoing team boss Luca Guercelina.

Fast becoming synonymous with one of the stand-out jerseys in the peloton, Simmons sees the importance in having the US champion represented at the world's biggest race. Racing at the Tour is among the most important things to Simmons.

"It's really important for me to wear this jersey," he told FloBikes broadcasters after the race.

He added: "I think it's super important that it's worn at the biggest races, and we need a top rider in it. So, it will be the third year I get to wear the jersey at the biggest bike race in the world, and you know, for me, that's super special. As an American, I love to race in that jersey in Europe and show it. Now we take it to the Tour."

Simmons gained a huge amount of supporters in 2025 for his breakaway exploits both at the Tour and high-profile races such as Il Lombardia, coming just short of victory in spectacular fashion. Represented in four breakaway stages, he was top ten in two of those days.

"My biggest dream of the whole season is to win a stage [of the Tour de France] wearing this jersey. In order to do that, you have to first get the jersey. So step one complete."

Lidl-Trek is set to undergo major changes in the coming months, with long-time team boss Luca Guercelina to step back after the Tour de France. In his seventh year with the team under Guercelina, Simmons noted a message from him as a big motivation for chasing an elusive first Tour de France victory.

Noting his US victory, Simmons eluded to his Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes triumph as the second time he's come good for Guercelina - although he hopes he can soon be third time lucky.

He said: "I remember I got a message from my manager, Luca, that he wanted me to win some races for him before he left the team. He's leaving in six weeks, and so far I've done two since he sent me that message. It's kind of nice to pay the team back after years of supporting me."

Simmons won his first US National Championships back in 2017, and noted his pride in taking his third road race title in the company of his father on Father's Day itself.

"It's been 10 years now that I've been coming to Nationals with Dad. This is our 10th one if you count all the disciplines. So that's a pretty good success ratio for sure to be three-time national champion with him on the side of the road. It's not many guys who can say they did that."