‘Let’s get rid of Guangxi’ - Quinn Simmons makes bold call for Tour of California return

The American made the comments during an appearance on the With Pacepodcast, where he discussed the state of professional road racing in the United States and the difficulties involved in bringing a major stage race back to the country.

“The entire peloton wants to do Tour California again, wants to do Utah,” Simmons said. “All the riders, we wanna be here racing.”

He then floated a more radical idea for the calendar.

“Let’s get rid of Guangxi and do a Tour California sometime end of the year or something.”

The timing of Simmons’ remarks is notable. The Tour of Guangxi currently occupies the final slot on the men’s WorldTour calendar, a position it has held since entering the top level of professional cycling in 2017.

Its longer term future, however, has come under scrutiny amid financial pressure on the Guangxi regional government. The men’s race is secured through 2027 under the current agreement between organiser Wanda Sports China and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, but there is no deal in place beyond that point. The women’s Tour of Guangxi has already been cancelled for 2026.

For Simmons, replacing the Chinese season finale with a major American event would be attractive from a sporting perspective, but he acknowledged that the economics make such a return difficult.

“The problem is convincing Americans to put something on that loses money,” Simmons said, arguing that such races are unlikely to survive for more than “two or three years at a time” in the United States. He contrasted that with Europe, where many established races operate without generating a direct profit.

The Tour of California, once the most important road race in the United States, last took place in 2019. Utah also disappeared from the international calendar after becoming a regular stop for leading WorldTour teams.

Simmons believes the appetite among riders to return is still there. The larger obstacle is the cost of organising the race and attracting top level teams.

“If you want WorldTour teams there, you have to pay us to come,” he said, pointing to road closures, travel, staff and equipment as part of the financial burden involved in staging a major American race.

He was more optimistic about the possibility of building a run of one day races around the existing North American calendar.

Simmons suggested adding another event on the East Coast around the Philadelphia Cycling Classic and the Canadian WorldTour races, creating several consecutive weekends of racing without the logistical demands of a full stage race.

“I think it would work maybe a second weekend with Philly, something on the East Coast,” he said, suggesting the races could then move north to Canada and create three consecutive weekends of racing.

“But in terms of a big stage race for WorldTour riders, I don’t see it happening.”

His comments followed his appearance at the revived Philadelphia Cycling Classic, a race Simmons admitted had exceeded his expectations.

He described the event as having a strong course and respectable crowds, comparing the atmosphere favourably with some established European races. The experience left him wanting more racing closer to home.

“If we can get more of it, sign me up.”

Simmons also believes American road cycling needs more than successful individual races if it wants to return to the level it reached during the height of the Tour of California era.

Asked what could truly shift the sport’s popularity in the United States, his answer was unequivocal.

“You need to win the Tour,” he said.

“And right now we don’t have someone that can do that.”

Simmons went further, arguing that even Olympic success would not have the same impact on the American public.

“We need a Tour winner if they wanna bring it back here,” he said.

For Simmons himself, the Tour de France also sits above the Olympics in cycling’s hierarchy.

“I would never trade having done the Olympics for having done the Tour, personally.”

His view of the Tour’s importance is shaped by his own experience this season. Simmons spent much of the race attacking and riding in breakaways, later describing the three weeks in France as capable of defining an entire year, and even a career.

“What you do those three weeks, that makes the season and that makes your career,” he said.

A Tour of California return remains a distant prospect, and Simmons was realistic about the financial hurdles involved in bringing a WorldTour stage race back to the United States.

Yet if Guangxi does disappear after 2027, its place at the end of the WorldTour calendar would suddenly be up for grabs. Simmons has made no secret of where he would like that race to be.