Simon Clarke is a 25-year old Victorian rider, racing for Orica-GreenEDGE (O-GE).
This year he has placed fifth overall at the Tour du Haut-Var and was recently second overall in the Glava Tour of Norway.
GreenEDGEFans: Your form this season for O-GE has been good with solid top 10s in stages and a top five in general classification (GC) for some smaller-stage tour races. Is your season on track so far in respect to your own goals and the team’s goals for you?
Simon: So far my season has gone reasonably well. I am really keen to get a race win not only for myself but also for my contribution to O-GE. I have come up just short a number of times now, so I hope its not too far away.
GreenEDGEFans: You have competed three times in the UCI World Road Championship and at the 2009 Championship, where your domestique duties were praised by Cadel Evans. Would the Olympic Road course be something that suits you and would you like to race in London for Australia?
Simon: Obviously it is my dream to ride for Australia at the Olympics, but unfortunately for the road race there are only five spots available, which makes it very difficult to be selected. The course in London is better suited to the likes of Matt Goss and Stuart O’Grady.
GreenEDGEFans: You have the dubious honour of being the first person to have the electronic shifters cause a change in an outcome of a race (when sitting fifth in GC and in the leading bunch at the Tour of Haut Var, your electronics went dead). On twitter you have joked about it. Is taking the micky out of a bad situation how you cope with such disappointment after working so hard?
Simon: Yes it was an unfortunate situation, but like in any organisation when it is new there are many fine details that need to be ironed out and this was just another example. It was just unfortunate it happened right at the end of the race when I wasn’t allowed to change bikes. I move on from things pretty quickly so before I had much time to worry about it, I was already focusing on my preparation for Paris-Nice.
GreenEDGEfans: What do you do outside of cycling?
Simon: I love the beach and I go surfing a lot at home in my off season. I also enjoy playing a bit of golf to change the pace.
GreenEDGEFans: What is your next race?
Simon: I am here at the Dauphine. I then have a bit of a break and return to racing in August at Vuelta Burgos and then to the Vuelta.
GreenEDGEFans: Is there a chance you will do a Grand Tour this year? Would a Grand Tour GC contender be something that is on your future horizons or the Ardennes classics be your continued major focus?
Simon: Yes, I will be doing the Vuelta. I will be looking to developing myself as a classics rider and trying to follow in the footsteps of Simon Gerrans.
GreenEDGEFans: Your ride for Orica-GreenEDGE in this year’s La Flèche Wallonne, where you dropped off Michael Albasini at fourth wheel at the base of the Muur, was described by your DS as outstanding teamwork. Describe the satisfaction a teammate gets when they fulfil the team roll expertly but receive no public personal accolades because this is difficult for non-cycling people to understand?
Simon: This is just how cycling works. It’s a team sport and you never do a job hoping for public accolades. But you do your job for the team, knowing well that when you have your day as team leader all the other guys are behind you. I had great support the other week in Norway and I suppose you could see that as getting help in return for my efforts for the team in the Ardennes.
GreenEDGEFans: Recently you posted a picture on twitter, where on your training ride you used some of your scuba gear to keep you warm and dry. Do you ever say it’s too wet or too cold to train?
Simon: When we get to Europe in early February its always very cold but we get a lot of good warm winter training clothes so this makes a big difference. But the general rule of thumb is that you don’t go out if it’s below zero degrees because
there is too much risk to come across black ice.
GreenEDGEFans: Out of cyclists, who do you think should be the flag bearer for Australia at the Olympics: Stuart O’Grady or Cadel Evans? I know personally this is a hard question for you!
Simon: Out of the cyclists these two names obviously stand out among the rest, but you have to remember there are many other sports in the Olympics with athletes who also have very impressive careers. I’m just glad it’s not me making the decision because it definitely won’t be an easy one!
GreenEDGEFans: Any comments about racing for the Australian team Orica-GreenEDGE that you would like to share?
Simon: After having now raced for quite a few various teams now, I can confidently say that O-GE is the best team I have ever ridden for and is definitely one of the best teams in the world. It’s only five months old, so this definitely makes for a good future. I have said this before and I’ll say it again. This is a project that Shayne Bannan has been developing for nearly 20 years now and for those of you who know him you would expect nothing less than what O-GE has become. He is the key to this whole mission and a lot of the team’s success has to be credited to him.
GreenEDGEFans: Are there any people you would like to thank for helping you in your career?
Simon: I have two main mentor-type people who I have to thank. Dave Sanders is the head coach of the Victorian Institute of Sport has been a very big influence in my development on and off the bike for a long time now. My personal trainer Jonno Hall has been writing my programs for seven seasons now and manages to get the best out of me every time it counts.
GreenEDGEFans: Thank you very much for giving your fans and The Roar readers your time. Best of luck with the Dauphine!
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