BFC 2015 Men’s Champ: Anthony Clark
from Feeding Hills, MA
Time: 1:51:50 (A new Indian Lake-to-Inlet record.)
Age: 27 as of race day 2015
Team: Squid Bikes
Occupation: Full-time cyclocross athlete for Squid Bikes.
Any Special Training? Interval training and motor pacing.
Cycling Goals: My mindset is to race every race as hard as I possibly can and never give up. I would love to make the USA World Team again for 2017
Why the BFC? Black Fy Challenge rules because it’s a ‘gravel road race’.
How is the BFC different than other races? It’s an amazing and super fun event!
How can we improve the BFC? I wouldn’t change anything about the Black Fly Challenge
Below is from a profile of Anthony on www.SquidBikes.com:
Some athletes have background stories of expected gradual progression, others more twists and turns, some so improbable as to become legend. And then there is Anthony Clark.
He learned at a young age to punch first and punch hard to fight back against being bullied in school for his high energy, small stature, and tendency towards yelling when overexcited. Before long his energy had him in trouble as a teenager, with cars wrapped around trees. The legend of Anthony took its first abrupt turn when he found out that his girlfriend was pregnant and his life immediately became refocused on creating a stable life which would allow him to be the best father he could be. That stability came in the form of two wheels.
Problem was, he still has some energy to deal with. This led him to pick up a bike and the second major turn in his story. While out on a training ride in 2009, four-time National Cyclocross Champion Jeremy Powers noticed someone sitting on his wheel. Not that unusual, except that this kid was wearing jean shorts, riding a heavy and cheap bike, and also didn’t stop sitting on Jeremy’s wheel even while the champion was doing efforts at his threshold level of intensity. After the ride, Jeremy tracked this mystery rider down, and found Anthony Clark.
Six years later and Anthony has developed into one of the country’s premier cyclocross racers. With his long hair and copious tattoos he was nicknamed the “David Lee Roth” of cyclocross by race announcers and is known for outlandish twitter feed, his SWL (Sick What Lifestyle), and his huge heart. He was first nurtured and developed in Jeremy’s own development program, JAM Fund, and in 2015 stepped out onto his own with a professional contract racing for Squid Bikes. After a breakout year in 2015, Anthony qualified to race at the 2016 World Cyclocross championships in Belgium. There isn’t much doubt that Anthony is ready for the Europe big leagues, but the question on everyone’s mind is “Can Europe possibly be ready for Anthony?”
