Colby Simmons is winding down a 3rd season with the Visma-Lease a Bike Development workforce, nonetheless in pursuit of an elusive first victory as a U23 rider. The Durango, Colorado native has been within the winner’s circle earlier than, incomes the stars-and-stripes jersey as the lads’s junior highway champion in 2021 and successful a stage that very same 12 months at Grand Prix Rüebliland in Switzerland.
That difficult-to-catch prime end result may simply be present in a non-traditional manner, just like the US Gravel National Championships. Simmons will compete Sunday within the males’s elite subject in Gering, Nebraska, the place he’ll line up towards defending champion Keegan Swenson and 47 different skilled off-road racers.
“I count on myself to do nicely, however clearly, it’s a bit completely different than highway racing. It’s thrilling to do one thing a bit completely different for certain,” Simmons instructed Cyclingnews this week.
“No, I’ve by no means achieved a gravel race. I’ve a gravel bike I experience a very good bit, a Cervelo, however I’ve by no means raced. I’m fairly to see the way it will go.”
So when the majority of his 2024 highway season wrapped up with a pause of a number of weeks earlier than the UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, September 21-29, he determined to journey again to Colorado for a do-it-yourself altitude camp and blend in a race, which simply occurs to be gravel.
“The actual motive I got here residence was only for the altitude as a result of then I’ll race the Road World Championships, U23, in Zurich on the finish of this month. So simply mainly doing an altitude camp right here, and it labored out nicely to get one laborious race in earlier than then,” Simmons shared with Cyclingews. “So that was the choice to do Gravel Nationals. It’s not tremendous distant from right here. It’ll be good to get an extended, laborious race within the legs earlier than Worlds.
“So mainly, I had a reasonably large block of no racing. I requested the workforce if I might come residence to Durango and mainly do an altitude camp at residence. So that was a giant a part of them letting me come again [to Colorado], as a result of I had not a ton of racing [in September].”
At simply 20 years of age, Simmons is in his third season with the Visma-Lease a Bike Development workforce, whereas his older brother Quinn Simmons races for Lidl-Trek. The youthful Simmons has put in 40 days of racing together with his Continental squad in Europe this season, ending second total at Tour Alsace in July. He returned to the US in May to compete at US Pro Road Nationals, incomes the bronze within the U23 males’s highway race and in addition taking prime 10s within the U23 time trial and elite highway race.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve had a standout 12 months, it’s been OK, nothing too particular. I used to be going fairly good on the National Championships within the US. I didn’t win, however I confirmed my health stage by racing aggressively,” Simmons mentioned, including that he was happy with his efficiency at Tour Alsace.
The 131.5km course for US gravel nationals would be the similar because the inaugural version final 12 months, with 90% of the floor a mixture of filth and gravel roads and shut to five,600 toes of elevation acquire. The begin and end is in Gering, a small city within the far western a part of Nebraska throughout the border from Colorado.
He admitted, “I do not know,” when requested if he was acquainted with the course in any respect and had thought a lot about tools selections. He mentioned he’s watched some YouTube movies from the occasion final 12 months to assist make the desicions on tyres, specifically, and didn’t hesitate to ask for recommendation, looking for enter from 2023 US champion Keegan.
“I additionally requested Keegan [Swenson] for private recommendation on what he would advocate working. He gave me an thought of what could be good, as a result of I imagine the course, at the least final 12 months, was considerably sandy, however nonetheless fairly quick so you possibly can run considerably of a slick. I’ll experience the course the day earlier than after which determine what tyre to run and what wheels to run,” he mentioned about being self-sufficient in his first gravel race.
“You don’t have a workforce automotive there, in order that makes a giant distinction. It’s extra on you, however I’m greater than able to fixing a flat if I have to. I imply, my health is certainly good. Yeah, to be there racing on the entrance, if I don’t have any issues, I can do fairly nicely.”
Simmons’ greatest focus in September stays the UCI Road World Championships, and he expects to assist fill one in every of 5 spots allotted to Team USA for the U23 males’s highway race. It can be his third journey as a U23 workforce member, final 12 months ending alongside Luke Lamperti in sixteenth.
“I really feel the course in Zurich fits me fairly nicely. And in fact, being right here at altitude and having a very good race within the legs earlier than then, I might be good there,” Simmons confirmed.
