Quinn Simmons Signs Off 2026 With a ‘Captain America’ Victory Salute at Japan Cup

Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) gave the Japanese fans what they wanted when he won his final race of the season – a Captain America salute.

The three-time U.S. national champion flashed the unusual sign-off Sunday after he outkicked Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) to win the Utsunomiya Japan Cup Road Race.

“It’s nice here,” Simmons said at the finish of the hilly one-day race. “The fans really embrace the Captain America, so I really wanted to sign off for the season and give them a salute to say thank you to Japan for putting on such a nice race.

“I’m pleased to see all the supporters on the side of the road with their cool signs and everything,” Simmons continued. “I’m happy it ended like this.”

Simmons draws attention whenever he races.

The handlebar ‘tache, flowing locks, and Ricky Bobby meets WWE persona – he’s about as far from a typical straight-laced WorldTour pro as it gets.

The 25-year-old drew huge cheers across the recent Tour de France as thousands of fans embraced the high-fiving, flag-waving “Captain America.”

The appeal more than translated across to Japan, where locals couldn’t get enough of cycling’s own action hero.

Even the Japanese commentators on Sunday’s race broadcast were stoked for Simmons’ character-inspired victory celebration.

Simmons and Healy light up final circuits in Utsunomiya

Simmons and Healy lined up as 5-star favorites for Sunday’s Japan Cup.

The two super-attackers lived up to their billing.

The two broke away from the front group at 30km to go of the sinuous, lumpy circuit race in northern Honshu and built a huge gap over the chasers.

Simmons, riding on crest of late-season form, knew he had to play patient.

“Everyone knew we were the two strongest in the race,” he said of himself and Healy. “Luckily the course is selective enough that we could make the difference and have a fair battle between us.

“I was quite confident in my sprint, so I knew I just had to make it over the climbs the last time,” Simmons said. “I was able to survive. It was nice racing with him.”

It’s a tough end to the season for Healy, who closes out 2026 without a win on the palmarés.

“It hasn’t quite clicked this year,” the Irishman recently told Domestique.

Simmons finally gets the W after string of near-misses

Victory on Sunday puts a deserved cap on 2026 for Simmons.

The Coloradan has been bulldozing his way across every race on his schedule since he started to peak at the Tour Auvergne-Rhones-Alpes. But in many cases, the endless kilometers on the attack either didn’t pay off or, at the Tour de France, were in the service of teammate Mads Pedersen.

In the last six weeks alone, Simmons was agonizingly close to the podiums at GP Québec, GP Montréal, and Tre Valle Varisene. He also finished fourth at the UCI road world championships after playing a key role in his American teammate Brandon McNulty winning the stripes.

Simmons didn’t miss out on the chance for his third victory of 2026 on Sunday.

“It’s been a really good season. I lacked a bit of winning, but I’ve been quite strong through the year,” he said. “To finish finally on the top step is quite a nice way to go at the end of the season.”

“Captain America” flies into the winter with three more years on his contract at Lidl-Trek. Plenty more superheroics to come.