Simon Clarke (cyclist)
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Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
_(cropped).jpg) Clarke at the 2019 Tour de la Provence | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Simon Clarke |
| Nickname | Simo |
| Born | 18 July 1986 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) |
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | NSN Cycling Team |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider (retired), Coach |
| Rider type | Puncheur |
| Amateur team | |
| 2006–2008 | Southaustralia.com–AIS |
| Professional teams | |
| 2009 | Amica Chips–Knauf |
| 2009–2010 | ISD–NERI |
| 2011 | Astana |
| 2012–2015 | GreenEDGE[1] |
| 2016–2020 | Cannondale[2][3] |
| 2021 | Team Qhubeka Assos |
| 2022–2026 | Israel–Premier Tech |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Simon Clarke (born 18 July 1986) is an Australian former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam NSN Cycling Team.[4][5] He previously rode for the Astana (2011) and Orica–GreenEDGE (2012–2015) teams in the UCI World Tour.[6] Before turning professional, Clarke competed in track cycling as an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.[7] He is not related to fellow Australian cyclist and past teammate Will Clarke.
After retiring from professional cycling after the 2026 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, Clarke joined his team's performance staff.[8]
At the 2012 Vuelta a España, Clarke won the fourth stage of the race, after being a part of an early breakaway that made it home on the mountainous race. The only other survivor of the break was Omega Pharma–Quick-Step's Tony Martin, whom Clarke out sprinted to claim his first professional victory.[9] During the twentieth stage, Clarke placed first at the first three of five categorised climbs, to win the most combative rider for the stage and to secure himself the blue polka-dot jersey, as winner of the mountains classification.[10]
In September 2015, it was announced that Clarke would join Cannondale for the 2016 season.[11] He was added to Australia's roster for the 2016 Summer Olympics, replacing Simon Gerrans (Orica–GreenEDGE), who had crashed out of the Tour de France.[12]
In November 2020, it was announced that Clarke would join the Team Qhubeka Assos team for the 2021 season.[13] Clarke won the fifth stage of the 2022 Tour de France.[14] He joined the winning breakaway group on a stage that included eleven sections of cobbles, many of which were unfamiliar sections that had never been used in the Tour or Paris–Roubaix. As the third week began he was forced to quit the Tour for the first time in his career, due to a positive COVID test.[15]
In 2024, Australian pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted Clarke during the Australian National Championships because of his affiliation with Israel–Premier Tech.[16]
