"The fans really embrace the Captain America" - Quinn Simmons concludes his season with a trademark celebration
Cycling
Quinn Simmons eventually succeeded in search for his third victory of this season at his appointment in Japan. In a weakened field, the American champion did not hesistate to defend his status of overwhelming favourite and delievered a convicing performance topped off with a "Captain America" style victory celebration.
To conclude the season, riders travelled east for final last appointment in the land of samurais. The Japan Cup (1.Pro) already got underway on Saturday with an appetizer criterium won by Jesper Stiansen, bronze medallist from under-23 World Championships.
The main dish then featured fourteen 10-kilometer laps in Utsunomiya, totalling at over 2,500 altitude meters.
With an unrelenting circuit, it did not take long for the race to become selective - exactly as Simmons needed. And then, with 30 kilometers to go, he left the small remaining peloton behind with only co-favourite Ben Healy in his wheel.
This scenario was perfect for the American who could lean back and only control his closest rival while navigating the race to a head-to-head sprint finale. There, Healy did not give Simmons much trouble and thus the Lidl-Trek rider could savor the support of Japanese crowds to the fullest with a trademark celebration.
"It’s nice here," Simmons said at the finish. "The fans really embrace the Captain America, so I really wanted to sign off for the season and give them a salute to say thank you to Japan for putting on such a nice race. I’m pleased to see all the supporters on the side of the road with their cool signs and everything."
Race played out as expected
"Everyone knew we were the two strongest in the race," he said of himself and Healy. "Luckily the course is selective enough that we could make the difference and have a fair battle between us."
"I was quite confident in my sprint, so I knew I just had to make it over the climbs the last time. I was able to survive. It was nice racing with him," he concluded.
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Sweet finish to a great season
Simmons can look back at yet another great season. Next to his three victories (Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes stage, National Championships, and in Japan), Simmons played a vital role as a teammate of Mads Pedersen at the Tour de France, and later Brandon McNulty at the World Championships in Montréal where he competed for a podium himself.
All of that was enough to place Simmons among the wider range of the best riders in the world, coming through to the top-25 of UCI ranking as a late boost of points from Japan allows Simmons to surge past the 2,000 UCI points bareer.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- what a misleading headline, again - he wasn't even on the main team. it is written like such a big loss. this is meaningless.mij18-10-2026
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- what are you saying, was Vine drafting off Remco? I didn't see it.mij18-10-2026
- There is nothing wrong with suspicion in this sense. It is not like any of those guys are on trial or paying for it, on the contrary, they are the ones reaping rewards whilst there is no proof. If you can’t be suspicious, you never search for proof or create pressure for it (and it never falls from the sky). Plenty of the older guys have either admitted or crossed the threshold of reasonable doubt. That creates a pattern which any thoughtful person or AI would consider as representative of some constant average reality. If I see young guys driving super sportscars in trashy neighbourhoods , I (and you) will suspect many things without specifically accusing anyone of anything because there is always some unlikely possibility it’s legit for a few but we can all assume most cases are not.Jumpyjohn18-10-2026
- MG is much worse than you describeJumpyjohn18-10-2026
- Ask the middle east to fund your sports and you can be rid of political interference ;-)Jumpyjohn18-10-2026
- Thank you for your experience which completely mirrors what my environment taught me. Obviously I wouldn’t be getting any secret admissions from those who made it to the very top (but the levels they fall back to post career is already quite revealing in itself) but almost all those who were on their way and stopped of their own accord tell the same story. And those who believe cycling is so well checked, easy to say when you compare to sports that hardly care but explain why so few are caught and banned in comparison to e.g. athletics (if you even know some of the numbers).Jumpyjohn18-10-2026
- Back to the boring and predictable.
parisbound0018-10-2026 - UAE is different level team than anything and everyone else. Best team weve ever witnessed and its not even close to be fair either..Completely crazy teammiguel18-10-2026
- The writing in this article is absolutely atrocious. Was it dictated and then immediately published without anyone bothering to proofread it?simon436018-10-2026
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