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Simon Clarke’s left side was a mess of bandages and he finished fourth in his Herald Sun Tour title defence.
And he could not have been happier.
Clarke lived his pre-race credo that nothing short of pure teamwork would do for Orica-GreenEDGE in the five-day Tour.
The only WorldTour team in the race started with a massive target on their collective backs and they responded with near-total domination.
After Cameron Meyer won the opening stage – the team’s first official win of the season – young gun Caleb Ewan sprinted to victories in the next two days.
On Sunday, Meyer finished second to confirm his Tour title.
Clarke was on his wheel, finishing third for the stage and ensuring Meyer’s overall lead was protected.
“I didn’t come here to defend it personally and we needed to win it as a team,” Clarke said.
“If we came here to ride just for me, I’m nearly positive we would have lost.
“We held them at bay, but they were just there waiting for us to make a mistake.”
Clarke played down his injuries, which he suffered in a crash during the previous day’s stage.
“It’s fine – it’s not nice crashing, but unfortunately it’s part of what we do,” he said.
“You just got over it, get up the next day and get on with the job.”
Clarke, Meyer and team owner Gerry Ryan paid tribute to the work of team-mates Ewan, Damien Howson, Michael Hepburn and Sam Bewley.
“It was six guys versus (88),” Clarke said.
“It doesn’t matter what level you’re racing at, it’s not an easy thing to do.
“If we’d come here with any less of a mindset, we probably would have lost.
“It was a super effort by the team.”
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