By Parker McKenzie
At the start of 2022, cyclist Simon Clarke didn’t have a team. Last week he celebrated winning the fifth stage of the Tour de France on Wednesday 6 July.
Mr Clarke, who attended Selby Primary School and still has family living in the Dandenong Ranges, claimed the first Tour De France of his career and the first for his team Israel – Premier Tech.
“To be honest, to start with, I didn’t think I had won,” Mr Clarke said in a post-race interview.
“I still didn’t believe it until I saw the photo finish. What a day.”
The 35-year-old broke away from the pack with three other riders towards the end of the 157km ride from Lille to Arenberg, before the photo finish saw him win the biggest accolade of his 20-year career.
He passed the finish line centimetres ahead of Taco Van Der Horn after throwing his bike across the line, completing the stage in 3 hours, 13 minutes and 35 seconds.
He said he thought he was going to get caught by a big push from behind at first.
“The gap came down quite a lot but I had hope because we had such a strong breakaway,” Mr Clarke said.
“I thought if there is ever a chance, then today is the day with this group.”
The fifth stage of the 2022 Tour De France was the first time since 2018 to have cobblestone return to the route of the race. It featured five new sections previously not featured during the Tour.
Mr Clarke, who moved to Europe at age 16 and turns 36 on July 18, said 2022 had been a roller coaster year so far.
“Sometimes you don’t get the best out of yourself until you are put under extra pressure. I am an optimistic person and I try and always believe that things happen for a reason,” he said.
“This winter was a bit challenging but I found a solution and I promised to never look back and make the most of every opportunity and that’s what I did today.”
The Tour De France continues until 24 July and features 21 stages, totalling 3,349.8km across the 24-day event.
