{"id":101288,"date":"2025-08-27T17:20:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T17:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/101288\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T17:20:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T17:20:09","slug":"a-7-year-transformation-for-worldtour-neo-pro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/101288\/","title":{"rendered":"A 7 Year Transformation for WorldTour Neo Pro"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Colby Simmons<\/a> might best be known for being Quinn Simmons<\/a>\u2019 younger brother, but the pro peloton doesn\u2019t really care to whom you are related. You can either pedal your bike or not. Luckily, Colby is proving that he\u2019s not just drafting in Quinn\u2019s slipstream. The guy can ride.<\/p>\n

But it wasn\u2019t always that way. Their father Scott also races bikes and got them both started at a young age. \u201cAs time went on my brother [Quinn] got more into it. And me seeing him getting more into it definitely sparked my interest as well,\u201d the younger Simmons explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, when I was 14 and before that I hated riding my bike. My parents would force me to get out and do something and not just sit on the couch.\u201d<\/p>\n

But all that changed and Simmons soon decided he wanted to be a professional bike racer. \u201cThat really became a goal when I was 16 years old,\u201d he said. \u201cI came over with the national team and did some racing. That opened my eyes as to how big the scene was over in Europe. And with my brother racing over there it seemed like a pretty good pathway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was just loving riding my bike and loving the training and the suffering. Knowing that to make it I would have to be over in Europe. Then with that came having to decide to do online schooling and not just take the normal path of going to high school like a normal teenager.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are not fully committed to being over in Europe you are going to have a hard time making it. You have to put in your time in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Big brother also offered his advice. \u201cQuinn told me what it takes and then I followed in his footsteps,\u201d said Simmons. \u201cHe started doing online schooling in order to be over here to race. He gave me advice on training and he told me you have to love riding your bike because it is too hard of a sport not to enjoy it at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

An unexpected switch from development team to pro squad
\n\"ColbySimmons was an unexpected signing for the EF Education EasyPost WorldTour team this year (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In 2022 the-then 18 year old joined the Jumbo Visma Development Team. \u201cI learned really how to race and take their racing style, which is always be at the front and racing aggressively and really working together as a team,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou see their racing style. They are not going to just sit there and let everybody do their thing. They are going to be the ones driving the race and making it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year the 21 year old joined the EF Education-Aevolo Development Team. \u201cAfter three years with Visma I was looking for a new environment,\u201d he said. \u201cA fresh kind of restart in a way. Changing up coaching a little. After three years of doing the same training it was good to mix it up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, the appeal of EF being an American team and also having some American teammates is always nice. Always a bit more like home. That helps.\u201d<\/p>\n

But after only a few months on the development team he got the call up to the big show and found himself elevated to the EF Education-EasyPost<\/a> World Tour squad. He had past experience in some big events: Simmons did quite a few pro races on the Jumbo Visma Development Team, as riders on development teams are allowed to race pro events other than World Tour races.<\/p>\n

That meant that Simmons had quite a bit of experience which undoubtedly helped with the EF Education EasyPost team\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team gave me a massive opportunity,\u201d remarked Simmons. \u201cBeing able to turn professional with an American team like EF was a dream come true. If you were to tell me this would have happened at the start of the year I wouldn\u2019t have believed you.\u201d<\/p>\n

An early debut in legendary classic races
\n\"TURNHOUT,Simmons was previously part of the Visma-Lease a Bike development squad and stepped up to the WorldTour team on guest slots (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

He had just turned pro but Simmons was immediately thrown into the deep end of the European Classics season, including the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s still pinching himself about that change.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the team to select me to go do those races was unbelievable,\u201d he said. \u201cHonestly, I still can\u2019t even believe I did those races this year. So cool!\u201d<\/p>\n

What was it like racing in the big league? \u201cWhen I was there I was just trying to soak it in and realize that this was truly the top end of the sport,\u201d he explained. \u201cI was able to help position the team in key moments. They told me \u2018Simmons we need you here, here and here.\u2019 Basically, with racing now you know where the key points are going to be where you know you have to be in position. And if you are not in position at those points your race is probably over.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey made it pretty clear that I needed to bring the guys to these key points and I think I did my job well. Hopefully, well enough that I can go back next year. We will see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simmons is a quick study. \u201cI think the main thing for me right now is learning what my strengths are. I really enjoy the idea of bringing someone to a key point in a race and then seeing them do well. Eventually, as I gain more experience I will probably race for a result. But for now it\u2019s time to learn from the guys because I still have a lot to learn, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

To that end, he had a very positive experience at the recent Tour of Poland. \u201cI showed that I could be up there on the harder days and really help the guys out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Discovering the biggest challenge with Roubaix and Flanders
\n\"ROUBAIX,Simmons in action in this year\u2019s Paris-Roubaix (Photo: Pim Waslander\/Soccrates\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Simmons\u2019 ride in Paris-Roubaix turned a few heads. \u201cThat was a super sweet race,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was actually going really well until two sections before the Arenberg [Forest] where I crashed quite hard. That, of course, didn\u2019t help. But up until that point I was having no issues with the positioning. I find that, on the cobbles, when it really becomes selective that\u2019s when I really shine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce I crashed, the race moves so fast that unless you are one of the top riders who can crash and come back, your day is pretty much done. At least that is how it was with me. You have to have good legs but you also have to have luck on your side. I think that\u2019s what makes those race so cool. It\u2019s not just about legs.\u201d<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s it like riding in the big show of the World Tour? \u201cThe biggest shock with races like Flanders and Roubaix are how long they are,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe distance of these races are something that I really haven\u2019t done. In training, moving forward, I need some longer rides so I can be competitive in a 6+ hour long race. I have definitely never done races that long before.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor instance at Flanders I thought I was on a really good day and could maybe do something in the finale but it turns out that once you go over five and a half hours it\u2019s a total different ball game. You need to be eating more and it is just a different strain on your legs than you are used to.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is the future?
\n\"GERAARDSBERGEN,Simmons on the famous Muur van Geraardsbergen during this year\u2019s edition of Renewi Tour (Photo: Luc Claessen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s early days for Simmons, particularly as he is just 21 years of age and still developing. He will become stronger as time passes and also have a better idea of his future direction. But at this point in time, what does he consider to be his strengths?<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I would like to do more of the classic style races where the positioning is super key with shorter, 1-2 minute climbs, or Roubaix,\u201d he answered. \u201cI find that with my weight, I am not the lightest guy, I am not the heaviest guy. So I think the shorter climbs suit me but not much longer than 10 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then also in a race like Roubaix I can do well because of positioning being so key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simmons\u2019 short term goals reflect a maturity beyond his years. \u201cWinning a race would always be nice. Winning a race at the World Tour level probably isn\u2019t in the cards quite yet because the level is so high, but I think I definitely have the capability of winning a pro race.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the long term Simmons could become one of America\u2019s next big one-day racers. He wants to be competitive at races like Roubaix and Flanders. \u201cI think it is definitely possible but I see how high the level is and I think that is quite a few years down the road,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

So how about that Captain America jersey his brother wore so proudly at this year\u2019s Tour de France, where he was arguably the most aggressive rider? \u201cI am not going to lie. I am pretty jealous of his jersey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The remainder of Simmons\u2019 inaugural World Tour season is packed with big races including the Montreal and Quebec events and the northern Italy one day races. He\u2019ll then either race in China or Japan.<\/p>\n

How is he taking it all in? \u201cI am just living the dream. Honestly, there is nothing I would rather be doing than racing my bike. It\u2019s pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“], “filter”: { “nextExceptions”: “img, blockquote, div”, “nextContainsExceptions”: “img, blockquote, a.btn, a.o-button”} }”> Colby Simmons might best be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101289,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,58561,635,58562,58563,10874,82,58564],"class_list":["post-101288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-colby-simmons","tag-cycling","tag-ef-education-easypost","tag-paris-roubaix","tag-quinn-simmons","tag-sports","tag-tour-of-flanders"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101288"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/101288\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=101288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=101288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}