INTERVIEW | Quinn Simmons embraces domestique role at 2025 Tour de France: "I really like having a job to do"

Quinn Simmons comes into the 2025 Tour de France motivated and wearing the stars and stripes jersey after winning the United States' national championships. Talking to CyclingUpToDate, the American rider has talked about his ambitions in the race and embracing his new role as a domestique for his third Grand Boucle.

Lidl-Trek are coming in with new paint jobs on their bikes and it certainly caught the eye of many this Thursday morning in Lille. Whilst Mattias Skjelmose, Thibau Nys and Jonathan Milan had most of the media spotlight, it is easy to forget just how much firepower is in the '8' that the American team selected. Whilst the likes of Jasper Stuyven and Simone Consonni will be working in the leadout of Milan; the likes of classics specialists Toms Skujins and Simmons will be having a mixed role throughout the race - mostly supporting their various leaders.

Earlier in the morning, Skjelmose - who will have no climbing domestiques in the team - confirmed that Simmons would be the rider that had been assigned to support the Dane: "When Quinn is done pulling, he's going to stay behind with me in case something happens". The 24-year old confirms this role:

"... We race a lot together in the one-day races in the spring. He's not a normal GC rider he can be a bit in the fight and I think that's an advantage i the first week here. Obviously we split the role between taking care of him and supporting Jonny (Milan, ed.). He also deserves support these first few days".

Simmons is more of a breakaway specialist, having already victories at the Volta a Catalunya and Tour de Suisse this year, but he prefers coming into the Tour as a supporting rider instead of a pure stage hunter. "I really like having a job to do... It's much better than spending these days in the back waiting for time to pass. For me it's really nice".

It is also safe to say that Simmons comes in fine form, after having won the nationals and a stage in Suisse over the past five weeks. "You can't be at the Tour unmotivated or else you're going home. It's so hard here that if you're not at your best shape and you're not super motivated you're in for a tough few days".

Whilst the second and third weeks present hilly stages suited to the American (such as stages 15 to Carcassonne and 20 to Pontarlier), he is wary to point out a particular day in which he may be hunting for individual success. "There's a few days... At the Tour obviously you can't point at one day and say 'this is the day' because some GC battle can happen so we have to feel a bit the race".

"Like you say there's four, five, six opportunities for guys like me... Even in the first week I think some of these punchy finishes are harder than some guys expect. If it's a reduced bunch and the GC guys don't want to play there's opportunities for guys like me in the final," he concluded.