Updated September 5, 2025 04:53PM
'F**k It, We Ball': Lidl-Trek's Gameplan Ahead of Maryland Cycling Classic Is To Make Things Hard For Everyone Else
Lidl-Trek riders Mattias Skjelmose and Quinn Simmons were just the right amount of candid ahead of tomorrow's Maryland Cycling Classic.
While Skjelmose is in a different jersey, Simmons and Skjelmose are still a common pairing at races for Lidl-Trek. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Both Quinn Simmons and Mattias Skjelmose have blonde hair. They both race for Lidl-Trek. They are also here at the Maryland Cycling Classic to compete for the win.
But the similarities generally stop there. The Lidl-Trek leading duo for the short North American swing of the calendar cut vastly different figures: Simmons with his “American Muscle” persona and wrestler-inspired facial hair, Skjelmose a Scandinavian with a smaller frame and eyeglasses.
They also have vastly different strengths. Simmons is a powerhouse who can pull all day and produce more kilojoules than most. Skjelmose is a punchy climber who is quickly rising through the ranks of the world’s best one-day racers. Yet, after three weeks of altitude training together in Simmons Durango, Colorado, home, the two seem to have found some synergy.
“I could easily do three camps a year over there,” Skjelmose said of his stint with Simmons in Durango. “The minus of traveling so long is made up for by all of the nice training roads. The cars are nice, the views are good — we had a day where we went to Telluride, had dinner there and then went back home the next day. It was one of the best rides of my life, so I really will be looking forward to coming back.
Similar Reads
“After three weeks of training and seeing each other every day, we’ve got each other back. I don’t always find this with other riders, so I really hope we can help each other. I have a really good feeling going into these races.”
The good vibes and good miles of the two-up camp are rolling straight into an intense block of racing for the two LidlTrek riders starting on Saturday on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland, with 107 miles of punchy riding around a tight urban circuit on tap.
The race is going to be less selective compared to years past, without the hilly run through Baltimore County to start the action, which Skjelmose said he didn’t particularly like. Nevertheless, the changes could help the ambition of Simmons, who could use the presence of the Dane to play a more aggressive role.
All of that will be bolstered by Simmons’ motivation to win the biggest race in the United States in the US national champion kit.
“We don’t race much in the US other than the Nationals,” Simmons said of the opportunity to race in the US. “This will be the only race in the US for all of us, so it’s super nice to be here and not to fly to Europe to race bike is quite nice.”
“Every time I put that jersey on, I feel the pressure to perform because it is a special chance to wear it for the whole year and I want to make the most of it and especially at home.
“The circuit format changes it, the run in made it a super hard race.
We always came into this final circuit with only ten guys, so it’ll be a different game starting with the whole field out there.”
While Skjelmose and Simmons are undoubtedly looking forward to the WorldTour races next week in Canada, the Rwanda Road World Championships, and Il Lombardia to close the season, Maryland is nonetheless an opportunity to grab a win if they play their cards right.
Or, as Skjelmose says: “We have this saying, f**k it, we ball.”
“We have nothing to lose, we just have to find the legs for Quebec and Montreal. It would be super if we win and if we don’t I promise you we will make it hard for everyone else.”
