Durango’s Quinn Simmons is a national champion for the second time in three years.
After winning the USA Cycling Pro Road National Championship in 2023 and then sitting out the race in 2024 due to injury, Simmons showed his talent as he took a dominant victory in Charleston, West Virginia, on Monday to take back the stars and stripes jersey.
Simmons won the 2025 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championship elite men’s race in four hours, 46 minutes and 46 seconds after 131 miles and 10 laps of the Charleston circuit.
“Starting last year, the Worlds showed that I was getting back to form,” Simmons said in a USA Cycling press release. “I had a strong spring and took my first World Tour win. Now I’ve got the jersey back. I’m not afraid to say that on my day, I can be one of the top riders in the world. I think I showed that at Worlds, it’s just not my day that often. I knew I had to make a statement, not just because we’re racing for the jersey, but because I’m also racing for a ticket to the Tour (de France).”
Simmons, racing for Lidl-Trek, finished 2:52 ahead of Evan Boyle in second and 4:23 ahead of Gavin Hlady in third.
The defining point of the elite men’s race was Simmons’ solo attack with about 22 miles to go. He dropped Henry Nueff and AJ August on the Bridge Road climb with more than two laps to go. Simmons gapped them by 44 seconds and continued to push hard until he was three minutes ahead of now second place Boyle at the start of the 10th and final lap.
During his attack, Simmons was over a minute faster than anyone in the field in the ninth lap.
Simmons had an easy cruise to the finish and could soak in his impressive display and that he’d be wearing the stars and stripes jersey for the next 12 months.
Colby Simmons had a solid performance on Monday. He finished in ninth in the elite men’s race in 4:51:23, 4:36 behind his older brother. On Friday, Colby finished third in the men’s elite criterium in 1:28:55, finishing with the same time as the winner Lucas Bourgoyne.
The EF Education-Easy Post rider also finished fourth in the men’s U-23 pro road championship race in 3:22:54, three seconds behind Hlady.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
