Quinn Simmons - 'Circuit racing is better for spectators and safer for riders'
Quinn Simmons stood out at the Tour de France in the stars and stripes of US champion, always attacking, always visible. But as he told bici.pro, it is his thoughts on how cycling should evolve that set him apart as much as his riding.
Born in 2001 in Colorado, Simmons already has seven professional wins. He admits the bike was never about leisure. “I don’t watch cycling for fun, I watch because I like the competition, I like the work, I like trying to be the best in something. I don’t see a road bike as something very fun and for me there are other sports I would like to do for fun or as a hobby. My opinion is that for me the bike is more important than happiness.”
He grew up watching Peter Sagan. “I grew up watching Sagan. I really liked his style on the bike, the aggressive racing, the way he won and the way he presented himself. He was fun, he was always very nice, different, especially when I was little. And then it was nice because I saw him at the Classics, but also at the World Championships… that he won three times. He was a great inspiration for me and one of the riders who made me love the bike.”
Asked by bici.pro how the sport could improve its appeal, Simmons was clear. “Yes, I really like circuit racing. The style of the World Championship, the full-speed race, makes the competition good. And it is also better for the spectators. Not only that, but it is also much safer for us riders.” He also dismissed the idea of banning radios. “I don’t understand the discussion about radios, I don’t understand why people think it is negative. Talking about safety, it would be really dangerous to remove them. For me it is not an option to race without radios. If the director cannot inform us of a dangerous event or if there is a crash, whether you are on your bike or whether you stayed upright… it is a big problem. They should not even be considered to be removed.”
He believes cycling can also borrow from other sports. Formula 1 has made team radio part of the spectacle, the NFL surrounds games with ceremonies, basketball keeps its audience engaged during every timeout. None of that changes the result, but it keeps attention high.
He believes riders themselves could make the difference in how the sport is told as well. “About post-race interviews, I don’t mean so much the questions they ask us, as journalists you can ask anything, but I think it’s more the way riders answer. If there is a battle in a race, if something went wrong or something was not fair, you don’t always have to give the perfectly politically correct answer. I think we can be more honest as riders. I think if everyone starts to do this, whoever does it will not have so much of a problem if it becomes normal and you behave like people. I think in other sports they behave like that. We always have to have a filter and when you remove it it starts to be a problem.”
For Simmons, attacking is not limited to the road. By speaking his mind he shows he is ready to challenge the conventions of the sport as well.
