Quinn Simmons celebrates Japan Cup victory with Captain America salute after beating Ben Healy

The Lidl-Trek rider proved the strongest finisher after a demanding 140km race, with Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) forced to settle for second. Berckmoes (Lotto-Intermarché) secured third after winning the sprint from the chasing group.

The Japan Cup's demanding circuit in Utsunomiya provided one final test for the riders before the end of the season. The repeated ascents of Mount Kogashiyama, which featured in the 1990 World Championships, have often proved decisive in the Japanese one-day race.

Lidl-Trek and EF Education-EasyPost were among the teams looking to force the pace early on. A group of 15 riders went clear, including Simmons' younger brother Colby, Julien Bernard, Lars Craps and Adam Rafferty.

Simmons was aggressive from the outset but initially struggled to make his way into the front group. The American champion continued to attack, eventually making his move alongside Healy with around 30 kilometres remaining.

The pair opened a gap on the rest of the field and held off the chasing riders over the closing laps, leaving them to contest the victory between themselves.

Healy knew that arriving at the finish alongside Simmons would be a difficult proposition. The Irishman attempted to shake off his rival on the climbs during the final lap, but Simmons had an answer each time.

With neither rider able to make the decisive difference uphill, the victory came down to a sprint.

"I was quite confident in my sprint, so I knew I just had to make it over the climbs the last time," Simmons said after the finish. "I was able to survive. It was nice racing with him."

The 25-year-old comfortably got the better of Healy to claim the 33rd edition of the Japanese one-day race, celebrating with a Captain America salute as he crossed the line.

"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," Simmons explained.

Further back, Berckmoes emerged as the quickest of the remaining contenders to secure third place.

The result was a welcome finish to a season in which Simmons had often been among the strongest riders without always getting the results he wanted. Speaking to Domestique last week, he admitted that missing out on some of his biggest objectives had been frustrating, despite feeling he had made another step forward. "I've shown that I'm at least in the game for the big races. I just missed that final piece," he said.

Simmons will now turn his attention to 2027, with a first Tour de France stage victory remaining his main ambition. "For me, the biggest objective every year will be the Tour," he said.

That Tour stage win will have to wait, but Simmons has at least ended 2026 on a high.