Updated July 17, 2026, 1:06 pm
US champion Quinn Simmons gave his father Scott a high five as he launched one of his signature megawatt attacks on stage 12 of the Tour de France on Thursday.
Thus was born one of the brightest and most enjoyable moments of the Tour de France this year.
And moreover, as his parents explained Velo today it was completely unplanned.
His parents Scott and Holly flew in from the United States that day. They packed up their bikes and Scott wanted to ride a little to stretch his legs after the long flight.
“I thought to myself, ‘If Quinn is going to attack, he’s probably going to do it right here,’” he said. Velo short hill, about 35 kilometers from the finish in Chalon-sur-Saône.
“Of course, I’m standing there and I see him coming,” he says. “I attacked, dragged everyone. I was like: ‘Wow!'”
Quinn Simmons was no doubt surprised, too: His parents say they told him they would be at the finish line, not on the race course.
“Then he reaches out for the five,” Scott says. “I thought, ‘I don’t know if this is the right place for this!’ At the last minute I reached out and we took it off.”
Family on two wheels
Simmons Sr. was in demand, being sought out for media interviews at the start village in Doula ahead of Stage 13 on Friday.
Professional road racing has become a family affair. Quinn’s younger brother Colby is also competing on the WorldTour with the U.S. team EF Education-EasyPost, preparing for the Tour of Poland in the family’s hometown of Durango, Colorado.
“It’s incredible how much work they put in, how much sacrifice they made. I’m very proud of that,” Scott says.
“We didn’t really want to make them cyclists. That wasn’t the goal, I wanted to make them tough people.”
Quinn was just six years old when he tackled the entire 100-mile White Rim Course and demonstrated his endurance and attacking spirit throughout his four Tour de France appearances.
Bringing strong teamwork to Lidl Track, he made many breakaway entries.
This year he equaled his best result in Tour history on stage four in Foix, finishing second behind his team captain and current points classification leader Mads Pedersen.
Boredom on Young Quinn’s Tour
His parents Holly and Scott never thought they or their son would compete in the Tour de France. “Especially on road bikes. We were mountain bikers,” Scott says. He was an elite MTB racer and competitive ski mountaineer who enjoyed adventure in the backcountry.
“I love being in the mountains, and biking is one way to do that, so I ride my bike quite often,” Simmons said.
“Little funny story: I used to always watch the Tour, especially during the Lance (Armstrong) era.”
“Quinn begged me to turn it off so I could watch something else! He was mad that I was watching the Tour again.”
Quinn became interested in road biking during a local Tuesday Night Worlds group ride in Durango, Colorado.
“We go out there, try to beat each other,” Scott says. “The first time I took Quinn, he did really well and just found the speed and competitiveness bug.”
The first time Quinn beat his father
Scott remembers the first time Quinn left him, after they were at a friend’s house for a big dinner.
“We went for a drive right after Quinn left. I was trying to hold onto his steering wheel and I lost my lunch!
“I think he was 13 years old. We went back and forth for several years, we would call it wearing the leader’s jersey: the one who was stronger that day. In the end, I lost it forever.”
Holly and Scott Simmons often traveled to France when their son competed in the racing that became popular in the sport. They have a small van and sleep on the side of the road.
“Life on tour is kind of like being chased by the Grateful Dead back in the day,” Scott says.
“Oh my god, don’t print that. It’s a great comparison, but it makes us look old!” Holly exclaims with a laugh.
Resilience, endurance and a sense of adventure run in the family. Simmons’ parents will bike “about 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) days.”
In the process, they’ll catch a glimpse of Quinn, in his eye-catching National Champion jersey, passing by much faster than they’ll be driving.
“The kids make fun of us because of our average speed,” Scott says. “We don’t look at it!”