The Japan Cup at the weekend allowed Quinn Simmons to round out his 2026 season in style with a win, and while it will have scratched a bit of an itch, it won’t leave him completely satisfied as he aims to find “that final piece” of the puzzle that unlocks the biggest victories and titles.

Simmons, 25, has just completed his seventh season as a professional since jumping straight from the junior ranks to the WorldTour following his storming junior world title in 2023. He won a stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, then kept the Stars and Stripes of the US national champion’s jersey on his back for another year, and gave it a good airing at the Tour de France via a series of breakaway rides.