By Peter Douglas
Selby professional cyclist Simon Clarke has described his 2017 Tour de France campaign as one of his “most memorable” races.
After completing his third Tour on Monday 24 July, Clarke, the Cannondale-Drapac team captain, was elated after helping teammate Rigoberto Uran to a podium finish.
Uran put forward an incredible performance for the team, pushing eventual winner Chris Froome the entire race and finishing in second, just 54 seconds behind the Team Sky champion.
Cannondale-Drapac finished in seventh position in the Team Classification, with Clarke finishing in 86th overall in the General Classification.
Clarke was named team captain of Cannondale-Drapac for this year’s Tour, with his role including helping to execute team plans from on the road.
He told Bicycling Australia this year’s Tour is one of his greatest professional achievements.
“It’s amazing to come away with second place overall against such a strong team like Sky. It really feels like a victory in itself,” Clarke said.
“We didn’t come to the Tour de France with such an experienced group of riders, but we really united strongly together and created a really strong core to support (Uran).
“To come away with a second place is just amazing and shows how well we worked together.”
In his victory speech, Uran described the second place as the greatest success of his career.
“Finishing second to Froome at less than a minute seems pretty good to me,” Uran said after the race.
“It’s a quality final podium in Paris, so this is the greatest success of my career. This result is dedicated to my family, friends, my team and everyone who has supported me during the last three weeks.”
While Clarke played largely a team role, he also notched up some personal achievements during his third Tour.
During the 21-stage race, he climbed as high as 39th overall in the General Classification and finished as one of the top Australian riders.
Australian winner of the green jersey for the Sprint Classification, Michael Matthews, finished 69th overall.
