After nine years in the blue-and-white kit of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling, Jonny Clarke acknowledged that the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah is the last race he will compete in with the US Pro Continental team. The team is currently in a last-ditch attempt to find a title sponsor to continue next season, but Clarke told Cyclingnews this week that he plans to move on even if his current team continues. `No matter what, even if the team finds a sponsor or not - I think it`s been announced that UHC are not coming back next year - and for me I`ve had those three letters on my back for nine years now. I`m not doing Colorado, and so this is my last race,` he said.ADVERTISEMENT Clarke made his initial announcement on Instagram, writing a thank you to his team. `I have a baby due in a couple of weeks, so there are some milestones all happening around one spot, so it`s a bit of a thank you,` he told Cyclingnews. `It`s not just the stuff I`ve accomplished on the bike, but also in my personal life: married, child, bought a house. Those are the things I look at that I`ve done with their employment.` Clarke made the most of his final race during Thursday`s stage 3, infiltrating the 10-rider breakaway and flying the UHC colours one more time for the TV cameras. Clarke took the final intermediate sprint of the day in Farmington to put an exclamation point on his effort. At the end of the race je joined Rally Cycling`s Rob Britton in a split form the original break, taking 45 seconds over the field onto the five 5km finishing circuits. The field caught Britton and Clarke with two to go, but Clarke`s teammate Travis McCabe took the sprint win.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
|
