Men to Watch in the 2026 Philadelphia Cycling Classic presented by AmeriGas
- John D. Eustice
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
by John D. Eustice
Captain America is coming to Philadelphia. Backed by two of the strongest racers in the world and flanked by three superb fast-men, Quinn Simmons, the three-time United States National Professional Road Champion and the racer voted as “Best Teammate” of the past two Tours de France for his powerful and unselfish devotion to team objectives, has the chance, finally, to race for his own glory.
It should be noted that despite his massive efforts to protect and further the successful Green Jersey quest of team leader Mads Pedersen, Simmons, resplendent in the Stars and Stripes jersey denoting the national champion, still finished as the 6th Young Rider and 18th overall at the 2026 Tour, proof of his massive strength. With his long, flowing red hair and handlebar moustache, the American, who is enormously popular with the French for his attacking style and brash, open personality, will have a great chance to prove that he is indeed a tactically astute racer, one able to put together all of the needed pieces to win for himself. Philadelphia will be a big test for Simmons, a determinant moment for the future direction of his career.
Ottawa’s Derek Gee will be co-leader with Simmons for Lidl-Trek, the Canadian certainly considered as one of the strongest men in the world. He was fifth at the Giro d’Italia this year followed by a last-minute callup and subsequent tremendous team effort at the Tour de France, fourth at the Giro in 2025, and ninth in the Tour de France in 2023, all which add up to the performances of an amazingly strong and consistent racer. What’s more, the 6’2”, 158-pounder is not only able to climb the Alps and Dolomites with the best, but he’s wicked fast as his double Pan American Track Championship Golds and 11 National Track titles prove.
The third power man on the Lidl-Trek squad is Londoner Tao Geoghegan Hart, winner of the Giro d’Italia in 2020, but who, since those glory days, has suffered through the effects of illness and a bad crash at the 2023 Giro. He remains strong and extremely experienced and will be a key factor in orchestrating the team assault on the roads of Philadelphia.
Should the race come down to a sprint, Lidl-Trek has the answers. 24-year-old Tim Torn Teutenberg, from a dynastic cycling family (his aunt, Ina Yoko Teutenberg, won Philadelphia in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010), is a world champion track racer, winner of the U-23 Paris-Roubaix and Holland’s Olympia Tour, and a major sprinting threat. Veteran Belgian Otto Vergaerde, a professional lead-out man, will guide the fast boys.
Team JAYCO AlUla is led by Anders Foldanger, an all-around racer from the tough climate of northern Denmark. The 25-year-old is fast, as shown by his field sprint win at the Brabantse Pijl in Belgium this year, and strong with excellent performances at the Baby Giro and Tour de l’Avenir as an amateur in 2023. Team Captain, Luka Mezgec, at 38 years of age, a man who carved the path for the Slovenian champions who followed such as Primoz Roglić and Tadej Pogačar, will provide expert race guidance for the young Dane.
EF Education-EasyPost’s sprinter Luke Lamperti must be considered a favorite for the win. The 23-year-old Californian, considered the youngest-ever winner of the National Elite Criterium Championship at 18 (although Philadelphia’s Steve Scuron, winner of that title in 1985 at the tender age of 16, and on restricted junior gears no less, might take issue with the idea) had a breakthrough Spring campaign with a prestigious stage win at Paris-Nice. His season has been somewhat quiet since then but is currently in Belgium preparing for the biggest race he’s ever done on home soil.
Tour de France standout Sean Quinn, so powerful in forging the wins and Polka Dot Jersey triumph of team leader Richard Carapaz, and who was once only :28 out of the Yellow Jersey, is more than a climber. He is quick and wins sprints from small groups. The two team leaders are backed by a group of excellent young riders, including Colby Simmons, brother of Quinn Simmons.
NSN Cycling Team brings a set of strong, fast sprinters led by Boulder, Colorado’s Riley Sheehan, currently enjoying an excellent season with three international victories in his pocket. Sheehan, who astonishingly won the Paris-Tours classic as his first-ever pro race, is blessed with deep strength in addition to a turn of speed, as his performances in stage races such at Volta Valenciana, the Lidl Deutschland Tour, Arctic Race of Norway, and his crushing dominance of the Joe Martin stage race in 2023, certainly demonstrate.
The team has another sprint option in Israeli Oded Kogut, a pure sprinter who on his day is the equal of the fastest men in the world. The team will be captained by lead-out pro Tom Van Asbroeck, a Belgian who was once top 10 at Paris-Roubaix.
Lotto-Intermarchè has the second-tallest rider in the race in 6’6” Jonas Rutsch. The German was sixth at Paris-Roubaix in 2025 and brings a wealth of experience to the team who are bringing their future stars to the race. Simone Gualdi, 23, is in his first year of pro racing after an excellent U-23 career and an Italian Junior National Road Championship, and Norway’s Felix Ørn-Kristoff, 20, two-time European Junior Road Champion, are coming to make names for themselves.
Hoping to join fellow Roman Paolo Cimini (1990) as a winner in Philadelphia is Martin Marcellusi of the Bardiani-CSF 7Saber team. Known as a breakaway artist who launches long in prestigious races – he was superb in Milano-Sanremo and the final stage to Rome at the Giro d’Italia this year- Marcellusi is also a very fast sprinter. Beware of him at the finish if he’s anywhere near the front.
The Cinderella story of Ben Oliver is a wonder. The New Zealander spent most of his career working odd jobs to support his racing, once as a beekeeper, before washing up on American shores last year. His dominant performances on the domestic circuit caught the eye of George Hincapie, who took a risk and brought him into his Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team. Talk about a lucky gamble. Oliver, in his first-ever foray into European racing, at the ripe old age of 30, won the Tour de Wallonie overall, the points and two stages giving Modern Adventure their first European victories. He was third in a field sprint in Vuelta a Andelucia Ruta Ciclista Dei Sol against some of the top in the world, making the Kiwi a major threat for Philadelphia.
We will be able to judge the level of our domestic racing class through the performances of the remaining, US-registered teams, many of them developmental. Do keep an eye on 19-year-old Kai Lokey in his first year of road racing. He was a fine 17th in the US Professional Road Championships, a most promising result for a new racer.
About the Author
John Eustice is a pioneering figure in American professional cycling whose influence spans racing, promotion, and media. One of the first Americans to break through in the European peloton, he won back-to-back U.S. Professional National Championships in 1982 and 1983 and later captained the first U.S.-registered team to compete in a Grand Tour at the Giro d’Italia. After racing, he became a leading U.S. promoter, founding major events including the Bucks County Classic, Tour of Connecticut, and Reading 120. Known for his belief in bold “showmanship,” Eustice remains a respected analyst and writer, offering candid, historically grounded insight into the sport.
