As a 15-year-old, Quinn Simmons burst onto the United States junior mountain biking scene with a stunning national championship in short-track cross country. He did it while competing against athletes as much as three years older.
Simmons, 16, of Durango was focused on defending the national championship jersey Thursday at the USA Cycling Mountain Nike Nationals at Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia. It came down to Simmons and 18-year-old Caleb Swartz of Madison, Wisconsin.
The two strongest riders in their field, Simmons and Swartz were in a sprint to the finish. Swartz had the legs for the final kick, and he claimed the national championship, with Simmons rolling in for second place.
“It’s hard to let go of the jersey,” Simmons said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald. “I still have two years to compete in this category to get it back and defend it.”
Simmons called the course the hardest short-track circuit he’s ever ridden.
“The climbs were a lot longer than normal for U.S. races, and there was a gnarly rock garden that had a lot of crashes,” said Simmons, who competes for the Whole Athlete/Specialized Cycling Team. “The last lap, I decided to go on the climb but couldn’t hold it.”
It was only the second time Simmons had raced Swartz. He beat Swartz at the Angel Fire Pro XCT short-track race in New Mexico in late June.
Simmons placed third in last year’s cross country mountain bike national championship race. He’s made it a goal all year to improve in the longer discipline and has been a force all summer. He will look to win that Stars and Stripes jersey Saturday.
“I’m going to ride the course one or two more times and get the bike dialed,” Simmons said. “It’s definitely the most technical XC course of the year for me. The climbs are on fire roads, though, and that helps me a bit. If it rains, it could be an issue, but I’ll hope for no flat tires and a strong ride.”
Official results for the short-track races were not available at press time Thursday. Durango’s Lucas Robbins also competed in the race. The women’s Category 1 17-and-over junior race also was contested, with Salvila Blunk of California taking first place. Colorado’s Ezra Smith placed second, and Amy Chandos of Arizona was third. Durango’s Katja Freeburn was riding in the lead group going into the final lap.
In the men’s master 55-59 age division cross country race Thursday, Durango’s Field Blevins finished 14th in 1:51:45. The race was won by Kevin Hines of East Wareham, Massachusetts. Blevins, the father of elite junior cyclist Christopher Blevins and women’s racer Kaylee Blevins, rode three extremely consistent laps for his result. He was the lone Coloradan to compete in the men’s master category in any age division.
Christopher Blevins, who was first at the U.S. Cup cross country race and second in the short-track race last weekend in Vermont, will be among the favorites to bring home gold medals later this week in West Virginia.
The pro short-track races will be held Friday beginning with women at 1:30 p.m. and the men at 2:55 p.m. The pro cross country races are scheduled for Sunday. the women will start at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, with the men’s raced scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
