Quinn Simmons' crazy power data at World Championships - American's Strava shows just how hard it was to win rainbow jersey
Cycling
The numbers behind Quinn Simmons' extraordinary teammate ride behind Brandon McNulty's extraordinary World Championships win show just how hard it is to win the rainbow jersey.
While the UAE rider took the headlines from victory, a remarkable team performance saw Quinn Simmons first mark a rampaging Mathieu van der Poel over a 50-kilometre period of the race, allowing McNulty and Matteo Jorgenson the advantage of not contributing to the chase behind.
For Simmons, the plan was forged before the race to use their triple leadership credentials to their advantage - which in practice saw the 26-year-old spring into action while Jorgenson also did the bidding among the favourites group.
“We’re all on different teams, but after last night’s meeting, we said: ‘No matter what, an American has to finish on the podium',” Simmons said after the race.
Quinn Simmons in action at the 2026 Montreal World Championships
Simmons follows van der Poel to put USA in driving seat
“I said, ‘Hey guys, anything is possible. We’re racing for the podium, but we can do even better if we ride like this'. And that’s exactly what we did.”
McNulty showed his cards with 35 kilometres to go after Simmons successfully kept van der Poel in check before the race re-grouped at the front. Simmons trusted van der Poel's instincts and followed him in a move that stuck and dictated the race's finale.
"If Van der Poel and Wout make a move, you have to trust their instincts. I think they're pretty good cyclists," he joked.
"I also knew that if the better climbers went, I probably wouldn't be able to keep up. Being up there at the front and giving Jorgenson and McNulty a chance to sit on gave us two options to win."
Read also
Quinn Simmons power data
When the American uploaded his ride to Strava, fans were given an insight into the incredible power behind his gold-assisting performance. In over six hours of riding, the Lidl-Trek rider averaged over 290 watts.
Translated to normalised power, that figure shows at 362 watts. At his peak, likely following attacks or hanging in with Mathieu van der Poel during their breakaway move, his power peaked at almost 1,100 watts - demonstrating just how hard the Montreal showcase was for the race's protagonists.
Despite his outstanding form, Simmons doesn't mind missing out on his best result when the rainbow jersey is on its way to the USA: “Whatever! Who cares about missing a medal when your team takes the jersey?”
Gavin QuinnCycling Journalist
Gavin Quinn is a cycling journalist and ultra-distance cyclist with a BA in Journalism from Dublin City University. Formerly the Press & Communications Officer for Cycling Ireland, Gavin has worked inside the national team at the World Championships and has reported for the Irish Mirror, Mirror UK, and The42.
His expertise is backed by elite-level access, having interviewed stars like Sam Bennett and Ben Healy, as well as immense personal endurance. In 2025, he completed a 12,000km solo cycle from Ireland to Vietnam, following a 4,600km tour across Europe. From the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to the gradients of the Tourmalet, Gavin’s writing focuses on the "romance and brutality" of the sport. Having visited 50+ countries, he brings a global, cultural perspective to his coverage of the pro peloton for CyclingUpToDate.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Thibau Nys does exactly what Iserbyt is calling for
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - i did not see it. was the relegation justified or an overly hard decision? and don‘t cross riders deviate from straight lines all the time? bumping into each others when they cut corners, etc … why being more strict with the rules on the finish sprint?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- seems like we are advertising the website with pointless comments…Ketterechts08-11-2026
- So?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- The UCI do have their favorites.
Front24208-11-2026 - On a positive note, you maybe notice turning this topic into a discussion has the benefit of eliminating certain participants who do not see how they can turn it back to their sole interest ;-)Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- People see what they want to. I am actually the opposite of your accusation, probably more of a rebel than most of you who don’t get the big picture. The difference is, I don’t go moaning publicly about the consequences of my transgressions, I understand the need for rules and I take my OWN responsibility when deciding to ignore or break them or doing so involuntarily. I will also not hesitate to state my case or argue vehemently when relevant, sometimes it works, sometimes it makes things worse but that’s the price to pay for principles and having character.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- That may be but that was unknown to others and nothing says that’s the whole truth. Again, don’t try to misinterpret, it is a call and technically it is correct. Besides, even if there is a valid reason, that does not disqualify the ruling or punishment as far as the rules have been developed. I don’t think they’re as far as in football where for handball there is a distinction (in some ways and specific cases) between intentional or not. And football can be just as harsh and people live with it, eg the offside rule, also judged to within tiny fractions but often wrong or ignored. It’s the nature of every collective organisation and sometimes I wonder if our rebellion against it isn’t seated in the feelings we carry from the injustices we’ve felt personally, like being flashed driving 1km/h too fast when we are explained limits are just a security measure but we are absolutely certain not to have endangered anyone with our transgression. The problem is, nobody has better solutions and no 2 people have the same interpretation of where a limit should be.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Because for you deviated implies the other rider MUST have been made to fall and fail to finish ??? I don’t know if you ride a bike but next time someone carves you up or drives dangerously close, just hold back from those feelings of changing something, reporting or filming or even complaining. Everyone will just say, hey you’re still here undamaged, doesn’t seem like anyone did anything.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- And we, what are we doing?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment