Simon Clarke (cyclist)

Simon Clarke (born 18 July 1986) is an Australian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Israel–Premier Tech.^[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.

Simon Clarke

Clarke at the 2019 Tour de la Provence
Personal information
Full name	Simon Clarke
Nickname	Simo
Born	(1986-07-18) 18 July 1986 (age 38) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	63 kg (139 lb; 9 st 13 lb)
Team information
Current team	Israel–Premier Tech
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
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–	Israel–Premier Tech
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (2022) 1 TTT stage (2013) Giro d'Italia 1 TTT stage (2015) Vuelta a España Mountains classification (2012) 2 individual stages (2012, 2018) One-day races and Classics GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano (2016) La Drôme Classic (2020)

Professional career

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.^[8] 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.^[9]

In September 2015, it was announced that Clarke would join Cannondale for the 2016 season.^[10] 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.^[11]

In November 2020, it was announced that Clarke would join the Team Qhubeka Assos team for the 2021 season.^[12] Clarke won the fifth stage of the 2022 Tour de France.^[13] 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.^[14]

Major results

2004

1st Team pursuit, UCI Junior Track World Championships

2005

5th Gran Premio Industrie del Marmo

8th Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic

10th Overall Giro delle Regioni

2006

1st Madison, National Junior Track Championships

4th Overall Giro delle Regioni

5th Trofeo Città di Brescia

7th Overall Vuelta a Navarra

1st Stage 4

8th Overall Herald Sun Tour

8th Overall Tour Down Under

9th Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23

2007

2nd Gran Premio Palio del Recioto

3rd Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships

3rd Down Under Classic

3rd GP Liberazione

6th Overall Tour of Britain

7th Overall Herald Sun Tour

1st Young rider classification

7th Overall Circuito Montañés

8th Giro del Mendrisiotto

8th GP Capodarco

10th Overall Tour Down Under

1st Young rider classification

2008

1st Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships

1st Trofeo Città di San Vendemiano

1st Stage 4 Tour of Japan

2nd GP Capodarco

2nd La Côte Picarde

2nd Trofeo Alcide Degasperi

4th Ronde Van Vlaanderen Beloften

6th Overall Tour of Ireland

7th Trofeo Città di Castelfidardo

2009

8th Overall Tour of Britain

8th Gran Premio dell'Insubria-Lugano

8th Trofeo Laigueglia

10th Memorial Cimurri

2010

4th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano

2011

5th Coppa Ugo Agostoni

5th Tre Valli Varesine

7th Giro del Friuli

7th Vattenfall Cyclassics

10th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec

2012 (1 pro win)

Vuelta a España

1st Mountains classification

1st Stage 4

2nd Overall Tour of Norway

2nd Rogaland GP

5th Overall Tour du Haut Var

7th Japan Cup

2013

1st Stage 4 (TTT) Tour de France

7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

2014 (2)

1st Overall Herald Sun Tour

1st Stage 2

4th Gran Premio Città di Camaiore

2015

Giro d'Italia

1st Stage 1 (TTT)

Held after Stage 4

2nd Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

4th Overall Herald Sun Tour

10th International Road Cycling Challenge

10th Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia

2016 (1)

1st GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano

2017

6th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano

2018 (1)

1st Stage 5 Vuelta a España

8th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía

2019

2nd Overall Tour de la Provence

1st Points classification

2nd Amstel Gold Race

8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico

8th Strade Bianche

9th Overall BinckBank Tour

9th Milan–San Remo

2020 (1)

1st La Drôme Classic

2021

5th La Drôme Classic

5th Primus Classic

8th Strade Bianche

2022 (1)

1st Stage 5 Tour de France

3rd GP Miguel Induráin

3rd Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana

5th Trofeo Calvià

6th Trofeo Pollença–Port d'Andratx

2023

2nd Road race, National Road Championships

2nd Vuelta a Murcia

3rd Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

5th Dwars door het Hageland

8th La Drôme Classic

Combativity award Stage 6 Giro d'Italia

2024

6th Overall Tour de Wallonie

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	63	67	—	—	—	75	—	—	DNF	97
Tour de France	—	68	113	—	—	86	100	61	—	123	DNF	109	—
Vuelta a España	77	69	70	—	DNF	74	46	—	—	—	—	—	—

Legend

—	Did not compete
DSQ	Disqualified
DNF	Did not finish
IP	In progress