How Hilton Clarke OAM became one of Australia’s most successful coaches

Hilton Clarke OAM knows a thing or two about winning national titles.

Aside from topping the podium 17 times as an elite cyclist in the 60s and 70s, Clarke has also guided dozens of road and track cyclists to more than 240 junior and senior national titles as a coach.

He has even coached a couple of world champions too.

The 1966 Commonwealth Games silver medallist and 1968 Olympian has now been recognised for his contribution to the sport, having recently been announced as an AusCycling life member for more than 50 years of dedication to the sport.

Clarke’s humble rise to the pinnacle of the sport sprung from a fortuitous introduction to cycling.

“It was a mistake really. I was overweight as a young kid, really dangerously overweight, and my doctor told me not to run, just to go and swim or ride a bike. I didn’t like swimming, so I rode a bike and that’s where I started. I got keener and better and better at it,” Clarke recalls.

“The love was the freedom of the bike. And it was a challenge for me, because when I was young I was tormented a little bit for my weight, [so] it was a challenge to me to try and succeed.

“I had a few little inclinations that I could go well. I could always rev, I could rev very fast, even if I had the weight on. And I was strong, so I just had to lose my weight.”

Clarke first started racing in 1963, aged 17. After showing potential in his first year, he then spent the next three years training before qualifying for the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, where he won a silver medal in the 10-mile scratch race.

Clarke qualified for the Olympics two years later, but things didn’t go to plan in Mexico.

“I was very unfortunate. I hit an American cyclist who walked onto the track when I was doing a time trial effort. I was probably doing 50-60km/h, and I smashed my wrist and broke my wrist. I taped my hand to the handlebars and I still raced in the event. I think I finished 8th or 9th. I wanted to ride – I wanted to race having done all that preparation for two years after the Commonwealth Games.”

Unable to ride his bike in the days following the accident, Clarke would observe the other athletes train in the mornings.

The experience gave him an insight into how the best in the world prepared for competition.

Clarke turned pro upon returning to Australia, with a series of fastest times and a podium in the Melbourne to Warrnambool road race among his highlights.

It was during this time that Clarke also discovered his flair for helping and teaching other riders on the road and track.

“I helped a couple of boys train, and they all went terrific in the Warrny. I always used to help people anyway because I’ve had people helping me.”

Clarke started coaching Carnegie Cycling Club juniors in the early 80s, guiding future Olympian Max Rainsford to the 1983 1000m time trial national title.

“I think it was the first time Victoria had won a senior championship in seven years, and the powers that be grabbed me and asked if I could be a coach and they helped me a lot. And I took it on from there.”

Over his 40-year coaching career, Clarke has mentored the likes of world champion Stephen Pate, Shane Perkins, Mark French, Simon Clarke, Michael Gallagher, Caitlin Ward and Alyssa Polites. One of his highlights was the junior world championships in New Zealand when his riders finished first, second and third in the sprint.

And Clarke’s key to getting the best out of riders?

“I think the athlete has to be keen,” Clarke says.

"If they don't want to train and they've got a mental block against training well then they are going to suffer. and fall away by the wayside. But the people who really want to train hard, I have to slow them up because they really want to train, they do extra kilometres.”

“Sid Patterson, who won four world championships, he used to say to me ‘do what you do well’, and his other saying was if you were tired and went to the track, ‘just do something.’ And that stood by me, all these years.”

Although his coaching days are gradually winding down, Clarke remains active mentoring both road and track cyclists at the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club.