CT: EXPOSED BY A STRAVA KOM

[MichaelK]

I don't understand these stories they put out that try to embarass someone. That guy isn't even really a public figure. There's bullshitters everywhere, why does this guy deserve this level of embarrassment?

Note: I only read the first few sections before I was put off by the article. Maybe he starts ruining people's lives in the end, I don't know.

Embarrass? I'm sorry but dickheads like Clark spit in the face of the actual kids out there, coming thousands of miles from abroad to Europe, to try and make it as a professional cyclist. Hard work, sweat, tears and blood; sacrificed in the pursuit of chasing a dream. Thousands of hours and hard miles training, spent living and breathing cycling. Even more hours spent before and after, working second jobs to fund their attempts.

Somebody out there actual rode and finished in those places Clark is claiming (or sometimes not, as he made up results for events before they even existed)... for some that would be stealing somebody's success and hard work. To top it off with actual stolen valour, claiming to have served in the Army in actual peacekeeping missions. The guy is nutjob and a pathological liar, who can't even do that right. There's a huge world of different between bullshitting a story versus concocting a fake life to lure in and defraud people based upon acts you made up on a keyboard.

He doesn't deserve the embarrassment, he probably doesn't even feel it. I do feel slightly sorry for him, obviously there's something not quite right in his head, but to remove all the lies and deceit, what kind of life if he left with? He could have made his cycling store a great success without the lies... and for many that would have been good enough, to own a successful business at the heart of a community.

A sad story at the end of the day, nobody wins.

@jfranci3 you should definitely read it all.

@Mr.Gib agreed, guy has zero style (or steez as the kids say these days) in that saddle. Looks completely out of place.

[Karvalo]

Honestly the nuttiest thing is that he reinvented himself as an SAS operator and is now "training" other toy soldiers. Stolen valor, crazed gun owners who cosplay as soldiers and are too stupid to notice? That's a powder keg right there.

A friend of mine was in the Parachute Regiment, served in Afghanistan etc. He worked maritime security and personal security for some years after leaving the Army. Several times he landed on bodyguard details with contractors who'd tell you they had an 'operator' history as long as your arm but through their actions and competency he'd swear had never in reality completed basic training in any service.

That whole sector is absolutely rife with them IMO - especially training those militia wannabes. No-one's easier to con than a fellow fantasist.

[AJS914]

I could forgive a fake security background for a gun instructor as long as they are qualified to teach. This guy though invented lie after lie that he didn't even need to invent.

Nobody cares if the local bike shop owner is an ex-pro or if they have a jr. world's medal. A racer don't care whether Colnago gives them a free frame or if the shop gives them a free Colnago. Why the absurd lie about riding Paris-Roubaix at 42 and the fake Lipomo team? This guy is just addicted to the dopamine rush of building this house of lies, and living on the edge of constantly getting caught.

Most of his lies didn't even provide direct financial gain. Many of them cost him money.

[MichaelK]

Honestly the nuttiest thing is that he reinvented himself as an SAS operator and is now "training" other toy soldiers. Stolen valor, crazed gun owners who cosplay as soldiers and are too stupid to notice? That's a powder keg right there.

A friend of mine was in the Parachute Regiment, served in Afghanistan etc. He worked maritime security and personal security for some years after leaving the Army. Several times he landed on bodyguard details with contractors who'd tell you they had an 'operator' history as long as your arm but through their actions and competency he'd swear had never in reality completed basic training in any service.

That whole sector is absolutely rife with them IMO - especially training those militia wannabes. No-one's easier to con than a fellow fantasist.

In another lifetime I attempted SAS(R) selection. I had to dropout due to medical reasons. None of the guys I met or worked with would bullshit about their past. It was very much "If you know, you know". The real operators aren't out to impress anyone. In fact there's always some resentment over people who are after the fame, for instance after the terrorist attack on the DusitD2 complex in Nairobi.

[Orbital]

Honestly the nuttiest thing is that he reinvented himself as an SAS operator and is now "training" other toy soldiers. Stolen valor, crazed gun owners who cosplay as soldiers and are too stupid to notice? That's a powder keg right there.

A friend of mine was in the Parachute Regiment, served in Afghanistan etc. He worked maritime security and personal security for some years after leaving the Army. Several times he landed on bodyguard details with contractors who'd tell you they had an 'operator' history as long as your arm but through their actions and competency he'd swear had never in reality completed basic training in any service.

That whole sector is absolutely rife with them IMO - especially training those militia wannabes. No-one's easier to con than a fellow fantasist.

In another lifetime I attempted SAS(R) selection. I had to dropout due to medical reasons. None of the guys I met or worked with would bullshit about their past. It was very much "If you know, you know". The real operators aren't out to impress anyone. In fact there's always some resentment over people who are after the fame, for instance after the terrorist attack on the DusitD2 complex in Nairobi.

It’s like that in most things in life. If you’re skilled, competent and comfortable at what you’re doing, you don’t need to convince anybody.

[Karvalo]

[None of the guys I met or worked with would bullshit about their past.

Exactly - the bullshitters are generally the guys who weren't there at all.

Not that being in the military makes you immune from any of the character flaws you'll find in any other members of society, but anyway.

[AJS914]

Bullshitting is one thing but editing wikipedia pages, paying for fake articles to be written, buying fake reputation management, having fake UCI medals fabricated, buying fake team kit, fake replica bikes, etc. is all way above and beyond.

[Berzin1]

I've met a few pathological liars in my time, and this story fits the bill. The sad part is how grown men and women fell for his crap and were so devastated when it came crashing down.

Are some people so bereft of authentic personal relationships that something like this would cause someone to stop cycling altogether as was mentioned by someone in the article? Then I would say it wasn't the cycling that got this person on a bike, but the cult of personality of a two-bit, shyte-talking atention whore.

It is genuinely baffling why people are drawn to people like this to such an extent.

[UpFromOne]

That guy lept right out of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Much worse than a standard case of grandiose narcissism.

His story is the tragedy of humanity, with no real interest in honest assessments of mental health.
We just chalk it up to a "colorful" or "charismatic" figure. The guy is very, very sick and needs help.

Thankfully he apparently left the cycling industry, but all he did was pick up a new environment in which to manifest his illnesses.

Thanks Strava!

[Johnny Rad]

Great read. Thx for sharing.

[Karvalo]

Are some people so bereft of authentic personal relationships that something like this would cause someone to stop cycling altogether as was mentioned by someone in the article? Then I would say it wasn't the cycling that got this person on a bike, but the cult of personality of a two-bit, shyte-talking atention whore.

It is genuinely baffling why people are drawn to people like this to such an extent.

Lovely bit of victim blaming there. An ex world tour pro with a successful bike shop wants to start the biggest women's team in the area and offer you free coaching and a fully sponsored Colnago for the season? Yeah, it's simply beyond belief that anyone would be drawn to that offer

Then, keep in mind that these women walked into what seemed like a great situation with no reason to have their defences up and encountered a man who had spent his whole life learning how to most effectively pull the levers of inter-personal power. Who started off killing them with kindness and then gradually started a cycle of escalating emotional abuse like heating a frog in water, not to mention the final humiliation when the fabrications were exposed. Sure, why would anyone consider leaving the sport following that?

[tymon_tm]

best thing I've read in a long time

of course from outsider's perspective it's baffling to say the least how so many people, in so many organizations, throught so many years, have just 'not checked' who the hell that dude is.. or rather, who he isn't.

it's pretty obvious he's a skillful sociopath, good for him, but it's also frightening how easily he was able to "achieve" so much based on lies, faked past, made up experiences. how a man without proper education or necessary skills (we can claim as much based on the article) acted as a CEO, a consultant, an "agent of change". the only conclusion that I have is most people long to those who somehow make up for their own lackings, those who shine so bright you don't really see them for who they truly are. in that scenario, a sociopathic predator prevails. and apparently gets away with it, morphing into yet another iteration.. a truly disturbing case

kudos to Iain Treloar and CT for this massive work. really brings back faith in quality journalism

[blaugrana]

The KOM was just a bookend to the article. Nobody can know how he motor doped his KOMs.

From about 10,000 words ago, you’ll remember that Clark either did – or didn’t, who even knows any more – take a Strava KOM. A disgruntled Strava rival told a friend about his doubts, who told another friend, who told another friend. Slowly, over a year or so, the strange story of the fabricated professional cycling career began to leak out.

One tipping point came in August 2020, when an elite-level Australian rider of the 1990s heard about the pro cyclist that never existed. A Facebook post he made went semi-viral among that community, attracting 345 comments. Some of those people – who worked hard for their own real-life pro careers and saw Clark’s deception as a sporting version of stolen valour – contacted teams that he said he was involved with, and some of them contacted ProBike FC.

It's not even necessary to motor dope. Activity files from cycling computers are not encrypted, so they can be edited to make the ride appear faster. I think there used to be some website that did this for you (no idea if it's still around).

[spud]

The dude is a true Zelig. That he finds a home in the security industry is at once ironic and horrifying. He's likely found kindred spirits there.

[Mocs123]

I know a guy like this (not a cyclist). He's lost several jobs due to lying on his resume/applicaiton. I always find it quite comical as he seems to go more extravagant than needed generally having a Masters Degree (from some school he's never attended), and for a couple of jobs even a PHD. These jobs did not require a PHD or even a Masters degree so why did he feel compeled to lie about it?

It's been a similar story in his love life (though he's currently married to wife #3). He always has these tall tales on things he's done, and who he is (Award winning author, Professional Poker Player, NCAA Referee, Consultant for Apple and Google, etc) none of which are true. It always took women a lot longer than I thought it should (years in cases) to figure out he was full of BS, but they always did and I always thought, wouldn't it be easier to just be a normal guy?