The „everlasting optimist“ is how Simon Clarke describes himself and it is a character trait that has served him properly by way of twenty years as an expert bike owner. It is maybe a necessity on the bike for a rider who’s prepared to throw himself into the so typically doomed break to chase victory. But it surely additionally helps clarify the longevity of this rider from Melbourne, who has simply walked away at 39 whereas surrounded by household and buddies at his dwelling race, the Mapei Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race.
The challenges haven’t been missing for the rider who made his means into the game by way of the nationwide AIS squad – which launched the profession of so many Australian riders by way of that exact late noughties period. However Clarke has continued to be a survivor, attaining his greatest success when, had the drive that optimism begets been missing, his profession would most likely have already been lengthy over. In truth, with out it, his profession most likely wouldn’t have gotten going in any respect.
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The large successes did not come early, and Clarke definitely did not have an armchair trip by way of these opening years, as his first step past the nationwide group was to Continental squad Amica Chips-Knauf, which duly folded in his opening season. After that he discovered a spot on one other Continental group – ISD Neri – for 2 seasons earlier than he lastly made his approach to the highest tier with Astana in 2011.
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Redemption
After racing with Astana for a season, Clarke then joined the brand new Orica-GreenEdge squad in 2012. It was after this shift that the following turning level got here, years after turning skilled, when he bought to trip his first Grand Tour – the Vuelta a España – and snare his first huge win.
After watching enviously for years as his former AIS teammates, akin to Cameron Meyer, Wesley Sulzberger and Jack Bobridge took on GrandTours with their WorldTour squads, there was no probability he was going to do what was then anticipated, and simply sit again within the grupetto for 3 weeks to study the sport.
„I used to be adamant that, having missed on years of that, that I wasn’t going to simply be one other quantity for that Grand Tour,“ mentioned Clarke. „I used to be super-motivated to hit the bottom working however I by no means thought it could go the way in which it did.“
Out entrance with fellow early break rider Tony Martin on stage 4 of the 2012 Vuelta a España, Clarke performed his hand to perfection on the run to the road, forcing Martin to the entrance and sprinting to his first skilled win, and doing it on an enormous stage. What’s extra, he then went on to shut out that version with the polka-dot jersey of the mountains classification winner on his again. It additionally wasn’t the top of his successful methods on the Spanish Grand Tour, with one other stage claimed from the break in 2018, this time whereas using for EF Schooling-First after having made the shift from the Australian squad in 2016.
The Vuelta wins had Clarke formulating one other objective to chase within the constructing blocks of his profession, a victory in every Grand Tour. Nonetheless, because the years ticked by even the everlasting optimist had „not given up on, however had put that objective on the again burner, as a result of successful a stage on the Tour is so troublesome.“
In truth, it appeared like it might without end have proved to be a goal out of attain when the season that Clarke made the shift to Qhubeka-NextHash ended up being its final. The announcement that it could fold left its riders trying to find a contract extraordinarily late within the season. It was time for Clarke to attract on that optimism and resilience he’d developed in the beginning of his profession.
„There’s at all times an answer to all the pieces, it is on the market, you have simply bought to search out it,“ mentioned Clarke of his perspective when he was heading into the 2022 season with no thought of what lay forward.
„That additionally means setting your self as much as give your self one of the best probability to search out the appropriate answer and so in that point, once I was out with no group, I had a private nutritionist and a private coach that wasn’t linked to my group and I simply mentioned, ‚proper I will hold coaching and making ready prefer it’s some other off season, regardless that I’ve no group.‘
As he was making ready for the early January Australian Nationwide Championships, a lifeline got here by way of within the type of a one-year take care of Israel-Premier Tech. There wasn’t any easing off at that time, although, for the soon-to-be father of two, who wished to show that lifeline into safety.
He instantly delivered a run of sturdy ends in Spain on the finish of January, taking fifth, third and sixth in a trio of 1.1 races and continued that with a runner’s-up spot on stage 3 of Vuelta a Andalucia in mid-February. He then produced much more prime ten outcomes by way of the approaching months.
That each one paled into insignificance, nevertheless, in comparison with what occurred in July.
The career-defining huge win
The season that began fraught with uncertainty, with the rider questioning how he was going to help his rising household, was about to ship the Australian a win that defines a profession, a victory that will by no means have occurred had he been much less decided in his pursuit of one other probability.
Clarke went out within the breakaway on the cobbled stage 5 of the Tour de France and supplied the fairytale ending on a drama-filled day, when a lunge on the road was simply sufficient to clinch him the win forward of Taco van der Hoorn. It was not solely a monumental win for Clarke but in addition the primary victory on the race for his group, who little question have been now grateful that they’d prolonged a lifeline to this Australian rider with a never-give-up perspective. To not point out having the expertise and tactical nous to drag off a victory on the most important stage within the biking world.
„That was huge. I have never cried after lots of my wins, however that one was fairly emotional,“ mentioned Clarke.
„When all these issues flip round, and then you definitely get a outcome like that, it is, it is a fairly large aid and a reasonably emotional second.“
Profession and legacy secured in a single swoop. So what now?
„After I received the Tour stage, I mentioned to myself, ‚Proper, if I will hold racing, I’ve bought to set new objectives, as a result of I am very goal-oriented. And the 2 objectives I had have been chase this Giro stage and and go to the Olympics – the Paris Olympics.“
He defined that with the Tour win within the bag, chasing the sooner goal of getting a victory at every Grand Tour was fortunately taken off the again burner. In 2023, „I used to be like, proper now, I am all in for the Giro“ – which he’d led total for a day again in 2015 within the first week – „to get this Giro stage and get the trifecta.“
„That is the place you noticed me the 12 months later [after the 2022 Tour stage win-Ed.], in Napoli, getting caught with 300 meters to go, which was devastating,“ mentioned Clarke of his stage 6 close to miss.
„However, you realize, I went down combating, and that day gave completely 100%, and you’ll sit again and analyse it each means you want, however trying again, there was, I really feel like I gave it completely all the pieces, and it simply wasn’t meant to be that day.“
Ultimately, that was a objective he did not get ticked off, although the Paris Olympics spot – which Clarke mentioned he thought may very well have been harder to realize – did change into a actuality in 2024. However by then, he was prepared to start out plotting his subsequent step.
„I am 40 this 12 months. I really feel like I’ve wrung the towel dry, so to talk. I am not leaving feeling like I have been compelled out, or I am not adequate anymore or whatnot. I am simply appreciative of all the pieces I’ve achieved, and I am prepared to start out a brand new chapter, and I am glad that I can do it on my phrases at a house race.“
On Sunday, as he lined up in Geelong – simply an hour from the place he grew up – he rolled out from a spot of honour on the entrance of the peloton. However there was clearly nonetheless a job to be performed throughout the ultimate 182km of his profession as an expert, although if he needed to metal himself on the climbs of Challambra, not less than he can be reminded that he’d by no means must sort out it once more after Sunday – because of a ‚Farewell Clarkey‘ message emblazoned throughout the highway close to the highest.
Clarke’s group, now often known as NSN Biking, did not fairly get the dream ending for the farewell race, however it was shut. When plan A, Corbin Robust, had an premature mechanical all of it got here all the way down to the retiring rider’s roommate, neo-pro Brady Gilmore, who’d been absorbing as a lot knowledge as he might from somebody Gilmore described as „most likely essentially the most underrated bike rider within the peloton and in addition one of many craftiest“.
The 24-year-old Australian walked away from the race together with his first WorldTour podium in his very first one-day WorldTour race, whereas Clarke crossed the road a bit of later in his final, to be greeted by a swarm of household buddies and well-wishers.
However whereas he might have now waved goodbye to his time contained in the peloton, Clarke is much from disappearing from biking, with the group that when supplied him a approach to hold racing additionally delivering a easy path out of it.
„I will hold working with the group, concerned in materials optimisation and aerodynamics, and I am actually motivated for that,“ mentioned Clarke.
„I’ve already been doing it to some extent, for the final 12 months or so, so I do know what I am in for, and I will not be waking up on Monday morning going – ‚Proper. What’s life going to seem like now?‘
„I am desperate to get began.“
