Danny Clark (cyclist)

Danny Clark

Personal information
Full name	Daniel Clark
Born	August 30, 1951(1951-08-30) Launceston, Australia
Team information
Discipline	Track
Role	Rider
Major wins
European championships: Omnium 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 Derny 1985, 1986, 1990 Motor-paced 1988 Madison 1979, 1988
Medal record Competitor for  Australia Men's Cycling Olympic Games Silver Munich 1972 1.000m Time Trial Track cycling UCI Track Cycling World Championships Gold 1980 Besancon Keirin Gold 1981 Brno Keirin Silver 1981 Brno Points Silver 1982 Leicester Keirin Silver 1983 Zurich Keirin Silver 1985 Bassano del Grappa Keirin Gold 1986 Colorado Springs Derny Silver 1987 Vienna Motor-paced Gold 1988 Ghent Motor-paced Bronze 1990 Maebashi Motor-paced Bronze 1990 Maebashi points Gold 1991 Stuttgart motor-paced
Infobox last updated on November 2008

Daniel "Danny" Clark OAM (born Launceston, Tasmania, 30 August 1951^[1]) is a retired track cyclist and road bicycle racer from Australia, who was a professional rider from 1974 to 1997. He won five World Championships.His biggest Olympic success came in 1972, when he won the silver medal in the men's 1000m time trial at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.

Clark had an exceptional sprint, and was often the fastest finishing rider in six-day races, especially as the previous fastest rider, Patrick Sercu, slowed with age, after the mid-1970s.Clark formed a very tough partnership when the British rider Tony Doyle, and they won many six-day races together.Clark's ability enabled him to be much more relaxed during races than many other riders, who often became tense as they became more tired.Clark very much enjoyed the party atmosphere of the six-day races, and continued to work in them as a Derny motor-pacer after he retired from racing.

He began cycling on a bike borrowed from a local enthusiast, which he used for three months before acquiring his eldest brothers semi racer.^[2] He became one of the most successful riders in six-day racing in the 1970s and 1980s, winning 74 races, second only to Sercu's 88. Most of these wins came after a heavy crash in the 1983 Frankfurt six-day which resulted in a broken hip. Clark still carries the plate that was inserted to help the fracture heal correctly, and later complained that when sprinting or climbing, only his right leg was delivering full power.^[2]

Clark won the Australian one-mile penny-farthing championship in Evandale, Tasmania, in 1989, beating the Briton Doug Pinkerton and Matthew Driver.^[3]

He lives now in Surfers Paradise, near Brisbane.^[3]

Palmarès

Olympic Games

• Munich 1972:
  • Silver kilomètre

World championships

• Besançon 1980:
  • Keirin
• Brno 1981:
  • Keirin
  • Silver, points
• Leicester 1982:
  • Silver, keirin
• Zurich 1983:
  • Silver, keirin
• Bassano del Grappa 1985:
  • Silver, Motor-paced
• Colorado Springs 1986:
  • Derny
• Vienna 1987:
  • Silver, motor-paced
• Ghent 1988:
  • Motor-paced
• Maebashi 1990:
  • Bronze, motor-paced
  • Bronze, points
• Stuttgart 1991:
  • Motor-paced

Six-days

• Sydney: 1974 with Frank Atkins
• Ghent: 1976, 1979, 1982 with Don Allan, 1986 with Tony Doyle, 1987, 1994 with Etienne De Wilde, 1990 with Roland Günther
• Münster: 1977, 1980 with Don Allan, 1988 with Tony Doyle
• Rotterdam: 1977, 1978, 1985 with René Pijnen, 1981 with Don Allan, 1986 with Francesco Moser, 1987 with Pierangelo Bincoletto, 1988 with Tony Doyle
• Antwerp: 1978 with Freddy Maertens, 1987 with Etienne De Wilde
• London: 1978, 1980 with Don Allan
• Copenhagen: 1978 with Don Allan, 1986, 1987 with Tony Doyle, 1989, 1992 with Urs Freuler, 1990, 1991 with Jens Veggerby, 1995 with Jimmi Madsen
• Herning: 1978, 1982 with Don Allan
• Bremen: 1979 with René Pijnen, 1987 with Dietrich Thurau, 1988 with Tony Doyle, 1990 with Roland Günther, 1994 with Andreas Kappes
• Maastricht: 1979 with Don Allan, 1984 with René Pijnen, 1985, 1987 with Tony Doyle
• Hannover: 1980 with Don Allan
• Cologne: 1980 with René Pijnen, 1985 with Dietrich Thurau, 1989 with Tony Doyle
• Munich: 1980, 1981 with Don Allan, 1986 with Dietrich Thurau, 1988, 1990 with Tony Doyle
• Grenoble: 1980 with Bernard Thévenet, 1989 with Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle
• Dortmund: 1982 with Henry Rinklin, 1983, 1986, 1988 with Tony Doyle, 1987 with Roman Hermann, 1991, 1995 with Rolf Aldag
• Berlin: 1983, 1986, 1988 with Tony Doyle, 1984 with Horst Schütz, 1985 with Hans-Henrik Ørsted
• Bassano del Grappa: 1986 with Roberto Amadio and Francesco Moser, 1988 with Francesco Moser, 1989 with Adriano Baffi
• Launceston: 1986 with Tony Doyle
• Paris: 1986 with Bernard Vallet, 1988 with Tony Doyle
• Stuttgart: 1989 with Uwe Bolten, 1992 with Pierangelo Bincoletto, 1995 with Etienne De Wilde
• Buenos-Aires: 1993 with Marcello Alexandre
• Nouméa: 2000 with Graeme Brown

European championships

• Omnium 1978, 1979, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988
• Derny 1985, 1986, 1990
• Motor-paced 1988
• Madison 1979 with Don Allan, 1988 with Tony Doyle

References

1. ^ Site du Cyclisme, Rider database, Danny Clark
2. ^ ^{a b} Licorice Gallery, Interview with Danny Clark
3. ^ ^{a b} Canberra Bicycle Museum, Article about Danny Clark sourced from "Freewheel" Issue 11, New Zealand

• Danny Clark (cyclist) profile at Cycling Archives
• Cycling Article

Persondata
Name	Clark, Daniel
Alternative names
Short description	Australian racing cyclist
Date of birth	30 August 1951
Place of birth	Launceston, Australia
Date of death
Place of death