“Yeah, longest race, longest ride” – American debutant Colby Simmons reveals Tour of Flanders was his longest ever ride

Colby Simmons made his professional debut for EF Education–EasyPost on one of the sport’s grandest stages, Sunday’s Tour of Flanders. While Tadej Pogacar stole the headlines with another dominant win, for 21-year-old Simmons, the 269km race wasn’t just his longest race to date, it was the longest ride of his life!

“It was about yeah, two weeks ago or so. I knew I got the contract, and once you get the offer, it's something you can't say no to. And with an American team especially, it's even cooler.”

Simmons was a late addition to the Flanders squad, receiving the call-up only days before the race.

“About a week or a week and a half or so ago. They said there might be a possibility with some guys getting injured and such. And then, yeah, it's something that you can't say no to; it's just super special!”

Despite the obvious fatigue, Simmons reflected on the experience with pride and humour.

“Yeah, longest race, longest ride… it's crazy,” he said to Cycling News. “I thought I was feeling pretty good, but then it turns out they hadn't started going hard yet. Once they decided to rip it up the Kwaremont the second time… that was all she wrote. Suffering, suffering the whole time. But yeah, happy. Happy to get to the end.”

He added, “I'm happy, just happy. Happy to finish and then do what I could for the team. And I think it went well.”

The American won’t have long to rest. His next assignment is another legendary test: Paris–Roubaix.

“Roubaix, so another Monument, which is super cool. I love it. It's an opportunity that not everyone gets, so I'll take it for sure.”

Racing alongside the world’s best might be intimidating, but Simmons is embracing the challenge with perspective and determination.

“It's definitely, definitely super special, but at the end of the day they're here racing and we're here racing, and then of course they're better than everyone. But you can try, try, and try and beat them, but it is what it is.”