Tearful Australian Simon Clarke wins at Tour de France

Australian cycling veteran Simon Clarke has landed the biggest victory of his career, left in flood of tears of joy after taking the fifth stage of the Tour de France.

The 35-year-old Israel Premier Tech rider, previously a two-time stage winner at the Vuelta a Espana, earned an even bigger grand tour prize as he won a sprint for the line from the day’s breakaway on Wednesday (France time).

Stage winner Australia’s Simon Clarke, right, pushes his wheel over the finish line ahead of Netherlands’ Taco van der Hoorn.Credit:AP

His career-defining triumph came after the 157km ride from Lille to Wallers-Arenberg, a tough stage featuring more than 19km of cobbled sectors.

Belgian Wout van Aert retained the overall lead while two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar gained time over all his rivals.

Primoz Roglic, one of the pre-race favourites, had a calamitous day, losing more than two minutes on fellow Slovenian Pogacar

Clarke, with his first win in over two years, beat Taco van der Hoorn, of the Netherlands, to the line, with Norway’s Edvald Boasson Hagen third.

Stage winner Simon Clarke is congratulated by a teammate.Credit:AP

Van Aert also hit the deck but ground through the whole stage and helped his teammates to chase down all day long.

Among the other favourites, last year’s runner-up Jonas Vingegaard, also from Jumbo Visma, finished 13 seconds behind Pogacar after a long chase following a mechanical.

Geraint Thomas, the 2018 champion, also limited the damage when he finished in Vingegaard’s group.

Australian Ben O’Connor, a surprising fourth overall last year, failed to make his way back into the bunch and lost more than three minutes to Pogacar.

There was more heartbreak for the Bahrain Victorious team as their leader, Jack Haig, abandoned the race after a crash.

Overall, Van Aert leads American Neilson Powless, fourth on the day, by 13 seconds, and Boasson Hagen by 14.

Pogacar sits in fourth position, 19 seconds off the pace.

Before the race even hits the mountains, he leads Vingegaard by 21 seconds.

AP, Reuters

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.

Most Viewed in Sport

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article