After his best-ever Tour de France stage finish, Quinn Simmons couldn't help but project an overall feeling of disappointment, as he rode to second place on stage 6 in Vire Normandie on Thursday, missing out on a maiden victory.
Bettered only by Ben Healy, US national champion Simmons was among the seven riders from the hard-fought day's breakaway to suffer defeat as the EF Education-EasyPost rider went solo 42km from the finish and was never seen again.
The 24-year-old is growing in shape, and riders who make it into Tour de France breakaways after as difficult a formation as was seen on stage 6 tend to get more opportunities as the three weeks rage on, but for now, the competitor in Simmons will think only of what could have been.
"I attacked where I initially planned to attack to try to win, but unfortunately, there was one guy in front," said Simmons as he warmed down at the team bus, having ridden to the line in tandem with Michael Storer (Tudor) to finish second and third.
"[Storer] was super strong, and this rolling terrain at the end of a hard day is almost custom-made for me, so it's a big opportunity I just missed.
"Of course, I'm disappointed – you don't race for second. Tomorrow, we'll wake up, and no one will even know I was second here. A stage win in this race can change your life, second place can't."
It's no surprise that Simmons was the second strongest of the day, with him and Healy being among the two riders who found separation in the brutal opening hour and a half of racing in the heat out of Bayeux.
Simmons knew everyone would be faltering as they approached Vire Normandie, describing his fellow escapees as "on their knees", and he had a plan of where he would make his bid for glory – 27km away from the line, but Healy beat him to it, 15km earlier.
"[Healy] did a nice move. I had planned to go on the climb with 27km to go, thinking it was early enough, because, often when it's been such a hard day, whoever attacks first will make it, if you have the legs, of course," said Simmons.
"I had already thought planning 27km out was early enough, but I guess it wasn't.
"I consider myself also one of those strong guys at the end of a hard stage. So you either have the legs or you don't. Today, Healy had the best legs, and I had the second-best."
This is the former junior world champion's third appearance at the Tour, after a solid debut in 2022, where he helped Mads Pedersen to a stage win, and a crash-ruined second hit out at a lap of France when he abandoned after just eight stages.
"My first Tour, I took a few shots from the breakaway, but to be honest, even if I said I had the level to fight for a stage win, I thought making the break was about the level I had," said the US champion.
"For sure, I was good then, but I'm a lot better now, and this time I'm doing it in the national jersey. I had some good moments, but it's a lot just hanging on for dear life. So it's better to suffer in the front than the back."
He'll be back in action for sure, validating the team's late call to bring him to the Tour, which he likely earned by winning a stage of the Tour de Suisse, be that by trying to again win from a break, or by helping Jonathan Milan win a sprint.
He's confident that Lidl-Trek won't have to wait long for a stage win.
"The start was quite hard, but I think, as a bunch, we can't just let every day be a sprint or GC day. Otherwise, Pogi will finish here with eight stages," said Simmons
"It's a big opportunity anytime there's a hard day like this. I think as a group, we've shown we're super strong and we've been second twice – it's not ideal, but for sure, someone gets it done these three weeks.
"Of course, we keep going. It's three weeks and historically – I don't want to say for sure and jinx myself – but I typically get better in the second and third week, when everyone's a bit more tired. So I hope we time the fitness right, and that's what happens."
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