The Palestinians continue to protest in a column, Israel continues to win: the story of a hero
Within six months, Simon Clark had become an "unemployed rider" and a "hero of Israel."
Against the backdrop of anti-Israel protests on the road, the Australian gave us his first victory in the Tour de France, admitting: "I am grateful to Israelis"
Walla!
sport
07/07/2022
Thursday, 07 July 2022, 06:32
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"Israel Premier Tech" celebrates the first ever victory for an Israeli team in the Tour de France (Photo: Sprint Cycling. Video editing: Aviad Balili)
At the end of the section, Australian rider Simon Clark looked restless, sobbing excitedly with arms folded at the side of the road.
He was still confused, and not sure that indeed at that moment he had fulfilled the dream of his life, and won a section in the Tour de France.
But the 35-year-old Clark found out very quickly that it did happen, in the fifth part of the race, and while covered in dust, with sweat turning to dirt, he hugged his teammates to the Israeli team "Israel Premier Tech" and knew: This is a tremendous achievement for me personally, but also for the team And to the industry in Israel.
The 35-year-old Clark completed the victory after a difficult and grueling section, lasting 220 km, when at the end he manages to get behind and literally steal the victory at the finish line, using his race wisdom no less than his speed. Journalists and staff members surrounded him. "Simon, you won, you won," someone from Israel Premier Tech told him, and gave the signal to open the festivities.
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Clark's greatness in victory was his tactics in the last mile, when he was not intimidated by Nilsson Pauls' break-in and escape, and with a lot of patience, experience and wisdom knew when to "give gas" and finish first.
"I said to myself, don't panic ... I waited, I waited, and I went for it at the last second. I'm shocked that was enough."
This is Clark's seventh Tour de France, but after years of supporting others and being a "soldier" of top riders, Clark was already having a hard time finding a team and was unemployed.
In January, he signed for one year with "Israel Premier Tech", in a decision that turned out to be great for both sides at least yesterday: Clark got his chance, and the Israeli team received not only the titles and the prestigious victory - but also the important points, after the difficult year. To rank B.
Simon Clark, a cyclist from Israel Premier Tech (Photo: GettyImages, Thomas SAMSON)
Waited for it all his life.
Clark (Photo: Official Website, Israel Premier Tech, Noa Arnon)
Zack Dempster, one of the managers of the Israeli team, said after Clark's victory: "This is a guy who at Christmas was without a job, without a team, we gave him a chance, and in fact we got a 10x profit on our bet. Many other riders would retire In this situation, but not Clarky. He continued, continued to train, worked hard, got a chance, returned to Europe on two days' notice, came to our camp and got a new bike, and in January was already on the podium in Mallorca. "He deserves it. He won this section with his head. I don't know if he was the strongest rider there, but definitely the smartest. Such a smart rider deserves to win the section in the Tour de France."
The victory of the Israeli group comes after the riders of "Israel Premier Tech" also in yesterday's segment encountered a protest by Palestinian organizations that called for a boycott of Israel and all its representatives - and so it has been in all segments to this day.
But while the protests against Israel remained marginal, the name "Israel Premier Tech" appeared yesterday on all the major websites and major media in the world.
Clark concluded: "I am grateful to Israel Premier Tech for giving me the opportunity, and I wanted to reward the team leaders and give them as many points as possible. So to achieve for them the first victory in its history in the Tour de France, it is a very special moment for me."
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Tour de France
Israel Premier Tech