Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) is the latest addition to a list of abandons from the 2023 Tour de France which now includes some of the sport’s biggest names, most notably Mark Cavendish.
“Since his heavy crash on stage 5 Quinn’s condition has not improved as we had hoped,” a statement from Lidl-Trek read on Sunday morning. “He still feels stiffness and fatigue so we have decided to stop him to focus on his recovery.”
Simmons, who took solo victory at the US Pro Road Race Nationals on 24th June, was not in contention for the general classification at a margin of 1:46:24 to race leader Jonas Vingegaard. Instead, he entered the race as a key support rider for Trek-Lidl team leaders Giulio Ciccone and Mattias Skjelmose.
Simmons was also set to hunt stage wins at the 2023 race, explaining ahead of the race that, “If I leave without a stage win then the Tour is a disappointment for me personally."
Simmons’ win at the US nationals had set him up well for his campaign at the Tour. “You come to the tour motivated,” he said in a press conference ahead of the race. “But now I have 10% more motivation and 10 more watts wearing this."
Simmons was set to ride in support of Mads Pedersen on the Tour’s sprint stages, helping deliver Pedersen to a jubilant victory on stage 8, while protecting Lidl-Trek’s GC ambitions with Skjelmose and Ciccone.
However, with Skjelmose being Lidl-Trek’s highest-placed GC contender in 19th place at a margin of 8:47 to the yellow jersey, Simmons would likely have been given a free lease to pursue individual stage wins on the Tour’s more hilly stages.
Simmons’ attendance at the Tour de France had been in doubt after he witnessed the tragic death of Gino Mäder at the Tour du Suisse - a trauma that led him to leave the race and fly home.
"I think for me it's something I'm still struggling with," Simmons said of the incident. "We all know the risks of the sport but when you see it up front it makes you question what you're doing with your life a little bit.”
Simmons is the latest abandon at the race after a day in which Mark Cavendish was forced to leave behind his record-breaking ambitions, while the crash-laden stage also claimed Steff Cras (TotalEnergies).
Cras entered stage 8 in 13th place in the overall standings, but was forced to leave following injuries caused by a crash in the final 5km which also involved Simon Yates, and which Cras blamed on a spectator.
