American Quinn Simmons said on Tuesday he wanted to pay tribute to the late Gino Maeder after winning the third stage of the Tour of Switzerland.
Simmons was chasing behind Maeder when the Swiss rider suffered a fatal crash during the 2023 edition of the race, and he considered retiring after the tragic incident.
As Simmons crossed the line, the US national champion raised his finger to the sky in reference to Maeder.
Big US Party in Heiden🇺🇸🦅 Simmons wins stage 3👏🏼
— Tour de Suisse (@tds) June 17, 2025
.#tds2025 #tourdesuisse pic.twitter.com/K5BJrKLtqf
"The motivation was super high today," Simmons said.
"I really wanted to win yesterday, on the two-year anniversary of us losing Gino and I really wanted to dedicate that win to him.
"I did it a day late, but it was really hard for me to be here again, especially seeing his mom at the start.
"But now I can pay a bit of tribute, and for sure I had a bit of extra motivation today, and frustration."
"My dream was to win a race in this jersey!"🇺🇸 Dream completed, bravo @QuinnSimmons9 👏 Is the door open for TdF with this victory?
— Tour de Suisse (@tds) June 17, 2025
.#tds2025 #tourdesuisse pic.twitter.com/wTPzCzCIr4
Simmons was part of an early group which split from the peloton within the first 30km before going on to finish 18 seconds ahead of Portuguese rider Joao Almeida, with Scot Oscar Onley in third.
Frenchman Romain Gregoire remains in the overall lead having finished fourth on the day after 195.6km between Aarau and Heiden.
Wednesday's fourth of eight stages is a 193.2km ride from Heiden to Piuro in Italy, which includes a climb up the Spluegen Pass at 2,114m altitude.