Colby Simmons is winding down a 3rd season with the Visma-Lease a Bike Improvement crew, 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 yr at Grand Prix Rüebliland in Switzerland.
That difficult-to-catch prime outcome may simply be present in a non-traditional method, just like the US Gravel Nationwide Championships. Simmons will compete Sunday within the males’s elite subject in Gering, Nebraska, the place he’ll line up in opposition to defending champion Keegan Swenson and 47 different skilled off-road racers.
“I count on myself to do effectively, however clearly, it’s a bit completely different than highway racing. It’s thrilling to do one thing a bit of completely different for certain,” Simmons instructed Cyclingnews this week.
“No, I’ve by no means carried out a gravel race. I’ve a gravel bike I trip 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 Street 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 true purpose I got here dwelling was only for the altitude as a result of then I am going to race the Street World Championships, U23, in Zurich on the finish of this month. So simply principally doing an altitude camp right here, and it labored out effectively to get one laborious race in earlier than then,” Simmons shared with Cyclingews. “In order that was the choice to do Gravel Nationals. It is not tremendous distant from right here. It will be good to get a protracted, laborious race within the legs earlier than Worlds.
“So principally, I had a fairly large block of no racing. I requested the crew if I might come dwelling to Durango and principally do an altitude camp at dwelling. In order 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 Improvement crew, whereas his older brother Quinn Simmons races for Lidl-Trek. The youthful Simmons has put in 40 days of racing along with his Continental squad in Europe this season, ending second general at Tour Alsace in July. He returned to the US in Could to compete at US Professional Street 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 yr, it’s been OK, nothing too particular. I used to be going fairly good on the Nationwide Championships within the US. I didn’t win, however I confirmed my health degree by racing aggressively,” Simmons stated, 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 yr, with 90% of the floor a mix of dust and gravel roads and shut to five,600 ft of elevation achieve. The beginning 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 aware of the course in any respect and had thought a lot about tools selections. He stated he’s watched some YouTube movies from the occasion final yr to assist make the desicions on tyres, particularly, and didn’t hesitate to ask for recommendation, in search of enter from 2023 US champion Keegan.
“I additionally requested Keegan [Swenson] for private recommendation on what he would advocate working. He gave me an concept of what could be good, as a result of I imagine the course, not less than final yr, was considerably sandy, however nonetheless fairly quick so you may run considerably of a slick. I’ll trip the course the day earlier than after which resolve what tyre to run and what wheels to run,” he stated about being self-sufficient in his first gravel race.
“You don’t have a crew 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 must. I imply, my health is unquestionably good. Yeah, to be there racing on the entrance, if I don’t have any issues, I can do fairly effectively.”
Simmons’ greatest focus in September stays the UCI Street World Championships, and he expects to assist fill one in every of 5 spots allotted to Staff USA for the U23 males’s highway race. It is going to be his third journey as a U23 crew member, final yr ending alongside Luke Lamperti in sixteenth.
“I really feel the course in Zurich fits me fairly effectively. And naturally, being right here at altitude and having a very good race within the legs earlier than then, I will be good there,” Simmons confirmed.
