"Trying to follow Pogacar probably cost me a medal" - World Championships mistake well in mind for Quinn Simmons ahead of Strade Bianche
Cycling
Quinn Simmons is a rider that loves the long races and loves Strade Bianche. He starts today as an interesting outsider, capable of fighting for the podium on his best day, but he knows that he's got to be cautious with his tactics not to repeat what describes as a fatal error at the World Championships.
"I didn't make it to the final loop last year, but based on the reconnaissance and what I've seen on TV, the course is better now," Simmons said in words to In de Leiderstrui. "There was some criticism that it's not necessarily good to make a race too hard, but if Strade Bianche wants to be a great classic, this is what we have to do". Several criticized the race's addition of another lap, making it even harder, but the American does not see it that way.
"The Monuments and the World Championships are always 260 kilometres or more, 213 kilometres is not very long. I always train very hard and long, so for me the distance is normally not the problem. It is mainly about reaching the final, that has often been the problem. If I reach the last 50 kilometres with the front riders, then I am confident," he adds. "It is more about the accelerations before the final, which I am afraid of.'
In 2022 and 2023 he was 7th and 12th respectively, and this year he teams up with an in-form Mathias Vacek and last year's runner-up Toms Skujins to aim for the podium. That is the realistic ambition, however he does not let go of the possibility of a surprise win.
"Hopefully the race for Monte Sante Marie will open for me and I will not have to try to follow, haha. If I do, I do not know if that will end well. Of course I start to win. I've said before that if you start with the ambition to be second, then there is no chance for you to win," he justifies.
"Maybe I only have a one percent chance of winning, but then I go for that one percent, after I get off the bus. When I look at my power meter, then I am personally better than ever. That may still not be enough to follow, but I'm not going to say that it is impossible. Why else would I get up every morning and train in the cold and go on all those altitude training camps? Then racing and all that shit is no fun".
However he will be cautious trying to follow Tadej Pogacar, after having done that last year at the Zurich World Championships and later paying the price. "I tried to follow Pogacar at the World Championships and it almost earned me a return ticket to the bus. In the end I recovered from the effort and finished in a pretty good place. Trying to follow Pogacar probably cost me a medal, without that action I would be fighting for silver and bronze. But this is a sport, where only the first places are remembered," he concluded.
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😍 We missed this #StradeBianche @CA_Ita LaPresse pic.twitter.com/LjCoQv1cdw
— Strade Bianche (@StradeBianche) March 8, 2025
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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