"We now have a great team in America" - Quinn Simmons hopes to become Olympic Champion in Los Angeles 2028 and already knows the course

Quinn Simmons is a rider who has achieved a lot in pro cycling but is eager to obtain a lot more. In conversation with Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe we learn that being a Paris-Roubaix winner is not one of the goals, that the cobbled classics are unlikely, but that the Olympic Games as a priority.

"The reason for skipping the Belgian classics is simple: there's currently no place for me on the team. Mads Pedersen is the rightful leader, and he wants a team that can fully support him. I don't want to sacrifice my entire preparation for the Amstel for a drag race to the Kwaremont," Simmons said jokingly in the Watts Occurring podcast.

The American has always stood out as a classics specialist, a rider who can take on the short climbs quite well whilst being excellent in solo moves. His endurance also allows him to compete at the very end of the monuments, as was the case last fall at Il Lombardia where he rode to a fourth place on the road, after being in the day's breakaway.

However in the spring, things work differently. Paris-Roubaix specially is a race that he does not want in his schedule. "The risk is so great, it's really dangerous. Realistically, I'm never going to win anyway, and then I don't have the balls to throw myself over the cobblestones for a top 10 finish".

This year, the 24-year old will focus on races that suit him quite well such as Strade Bianche, Amstel Gold Race and the Tour de France where last year he was in the spotlight often, chasing breakaways, doing leadouts for Jonathan Milan and also chasing stage wins. These are his three big goals, and if there is a fourth it will certainly be the Montréal World Championships, on a course where only a few month ago he joined Tadej Pogacar and Brandon McNulty on the podium of the World Tour one-day race.

Simmons doesn't often get to compete in North America, but this should happen in two years, as the Olympic Games will take place in Los Angeles. This is going to be a major milestone in his career, and he can potentially succeed in it. "Everyone wants to become an Olympic champion, especially when it's in their home country. I know the course and have ridden there before".

He is the current American national champion, and tends to perform well in the explosive races where distance also plays a key factor, which is always a variable at the Olympics. "If everyone is fit, we now have a great team in America. We just don't have as broad a squad as many other major countries, which makes it even more important for us that everyone is in shape. I am confident we can achieve something great there on home soil."

And as had been said before, he will not let go of the dream of competing in the Olympics in Ski Mountaineering, after his cycling career is over. "I love skiing. This new event at the Winter Games focuses on short, uphill bursts, which should suit an elite athlete like me. I already have the technique from skiing in my youth."