matt clarke

Date of birth: 24th March 1993

I first started cycling when I was fifteen years old and joined Halesowen A & CC in January 2009.

 

My first racing started on 10th August 2009. I rode the Halesowen Friday Night Track League in the Youth category and won the points race and a scratch race.

 

In May 2010 I started road racing. My first race was the Lichfield Road Race. I got into a breakaway but it eventually got pulled back and I finished in the bunch.

 

My best result of 2010 was when I came first in a 3rd and 4th category Stourport Circuit Race. I got away with Joe Fox - (Rapha Condor Cycling Club) and beat him in a two up sprint.

 

Another result in 2010, was when I rode the Junior Tour of Wales. On my first stage race, I finished 62nd overall. On the final stage, up Tumble Mountain, I finished 30th out of 100 riders.

 

In 2010, I was having regular wins in the scratch and devil races at the Halesowen Friday Night Track League. At the end of the season, I came 3rd in the B category league.

 

In 2011 I won three road races and one circuit race. My first ever road race win was the 2nd, 3rd and 4th category Derby Mercury Road Race. It was 58 miles and I went away on my own at the bottom of a 20% climb to the finish.

 

My next win was the next race after my Derby Mercury win. It was an E, 1st, 2nd , 3rd and 4th category (handicapped scratch group) Thursday night road race which was part of a league and was 35 miles. I got into a 3 man breakaway and won the sprint on a hard hill finish. I nearly had three wins in a week by coming a very close second in a 1st and 2nd category Stourport Circuit Race. I got dropped about half way through the race, but I managed to time trial across a 30 second gap back up to the bunch. Jacob Tipper (Team Wallis Cycles) came first but there must have been a tyre width in it.

 

In another 1st and 2nd category Stourport Circuit Race, I attacked within the first 10 minutes of a 50 minute race and rode away on my own and won.

I came first in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th category Jean Baker Memorial Road Race which was 70 miles on a hilly course. I got into a breakaway and won the breakaway sprint.

 

I had a great result in the Junior Tour of Wales. The second year in a row that I rode it, I finished 10th overall against the 100 top UK Junior riders. In Stage one, the Time Trial, I came third in the King of the Mountains. In stage 5 which was 52 miles and fairly flat, I got into a breakaway which stayed away. I came fifth. The winner of that stage was Owain Doull (Hargrove’s Cycles).

 

To finish off the season, I won the 2011 West Midlands Road Race League as a Junior rider.

 

In 2012 it was my first year riding as an under 23 senior and I had some strong results. I came third in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th category Halesowen Road Race. It was 70 miles and on a hilly course. The winner was James Notley (Planet X)

 

I came second in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th category Alan Goddard Memorial Road Race. It was 56 miles on an undulating course. The winner was Adrian Bird (Rapid Performance Coaching).

 

I came first in the E, 1st,2nd,3rd category Worcester St Johns CC, The Green Bike Company Road Race which was 80 miles in extremely wet conditions. I got into a breakaway on the first lap and it stayed away. On the final climb to the finish, I attacked and won by about ten seconds from 2nd placed rider Liam Jones (Team Corley Cycles/ Blue) and Matt Higgins (Node4 - Giordana Racing) in 3rd. Bradley Wiggins won this race on the same course 11 years ago in the same wet conditions.

 

I came second in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th category Beacon RCC Pinarello Road Race. It was 56 miles on an undulating course. The winner was Henry Latimer (Dream Cycling).

 

I came first in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th category Tour of the Wrekin Road Race. I got into a five man breakaway and attacked on the steep part of the final climb, and crossed the line 52 seconds ahead of 2nd placed rider Tony Kiss (Rapid Performance Coaching).

 

I came third in the E, 1st, 2nd, 3rd category John Walker Trophy Road Race. The distance was reduced from 68 miles to 51 miles because of the wet and cold conditions. I got into a twelve man breakaway on the first lap and it stayed away. The winner was Matt Cronshaw (Node 4 Giordana Racing).

 

In October 2012, I did some hill climbs. My first ever hill climb was the Horseshoe Pass near Llangollen. I came second out of 100 riders. My time was 10.01. The winner was Dan Evans (Rhos on Sea CC) with a time of 9.51.

 

I came fifth in the Matlock CC Riber Road hill climb. My time was 3.53. The winner was Lee Baldwin (Buxton CC) with a time of 3.40.2.

 

I came fifth in the Matlock CC Bank Road hill climb. My time was 2.06.5. The winner was Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughan Cycles) with a time of 1.53.6. Overall I finished sixth with a combined time of 5.59.5. The winner was Matt Clinton with a combined time of 5.34.1.

 

My last competitive event of the 2012 season was the National Hill Climb Championships up Rake Hill in Lancashire. I came 21st out of 150 riders. My time was 2.46. The winner was Jack Pullar (Wheelbase) with a time of 2.21.3.