Quinn Simmons will remain with Trek-Segafredo for the next two years, signing a contract extension as the team bolster their Classics unit.
The 20-year-old, who was suspended by the team last year, is one of five renewals announced on Monday, along with Edward Theuns, Alex Kirsch, Emils Liepins, and Alexander Kamp.
Trek-Segafredo snapped up Simmons as he rose rapidly and won the junior road race world title in Yorkshire in 2019, taking him straight to the WorldTour. However, his debut season was marked by controversy as he was suspended over social media posts that were deemed "divisive, incendiary, and detrimental" by his team.
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Relations appeared strained as Simmons sat out the delayed 2020 Spring Classics and publicly stated that he did not deserve to be suspended. However, he has raced a full programme so far in 2021 and recently claimed his first professional victories with a stage and the overall at the Tour de Wallonie.
"Quinn is an exciting rider. His attacking style of racing aligns with our approach, and I think he will be a rider to watch closely in the next years," said Trek-Segafredo manager Luca Guercilena in announcing the new deal.
"Of course, Quinn is still a very young guy, but now we see many riders this age enjoying success. He has great potential, and we are relishing the opportunity to help Quinn continue to find his footing in the pro ranks and develop into a well-rounded athlete."
After being unable to make an impact in the Classics this spring, Simmons nevertheless saw some progress in Wallonie and was happy to commit his future to the team.
"I'm super thankful that, both coming out of the juniors and now again for two more years, they've put faith in me as a young rider. A big thank you also to Luca for believing in me. I think the Tour of Wallonie showed a bit of confirmation of what they see, and I hope to continue to grow and to learn what kind of rider I'd like to be in the future," Simmons said.
"I'm really happy in the team and with what I've accomplished so far, and I'm looking forward to making another big step with my first Grand Tour in the coming weeks. After that, I'll be looking towards next year to hopefully make some nice results in the Classics as our team continues to grow and prove that we are one of the best teams going into 2022."
Simmons is one of five Classics riders who have extended with Trek-Segafredo. Leaders Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven were already under contract for 2022 but now the support network for next spring has been kept in place.
Theuns, who returned to the team in 2019 after a brief stint at Sunweb, has signed up for two more years, and the 30-year-old Belgian will have his own opportunities in certain sprint finishes. Liepins, the 28-year-old Latvian, is another rider with a fast finish who has made big strides in the past couple of years, while Luxembourg 29-year-old Alex Kirsch has had a big impact as a domestique since joining three years ago.
While those riders have all been handed two-year extensions, Kamp, the 27-year-old Dane, has had just the one year added to his deal.
"Alexander is a rider who has the qualities to be a pro on a World Tour team. We think it's worth persevering and giving him the opportunity to prove it," Guercilena said.
"He knows we believe in him; it's up to him to make that leap to confirm our thinking."
