Mario De Clercq

Mario De Clercq (born 5 March 1966) is a former Belgian racing cyclist. He specialized in cyclo-cross racing but also rode on the road and circuit races during his career, he raced as a professional between 1991 and 2004. The majority of his years as a professional were under the sponsorship of Palmans and its various co-sponsors.

Born in Oudenaarde, Belgium, De Clercq is a three-time world cyclo-cross champion capturing the 1998, 1999 and 2002 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships. In addition, De Clercq won the 2001 and 2002 Belgian National Cyclo-cross Championships.

Accused of being in possession of banned substances, along with Johan Museeuw and nine other riders, investigators visited their houses in 2003, they faced an initial hearing in Kortrijk on 11 October 2005. De Clercq was due to stand trial on drug charges at a Belgian Court in 2006.

De Clercq, along with Hans De Clercq (no relation), has been managing the Sunweb - Pro Job Cycling Team since early 2007.

In September 2007, the long-awaited trial began. De Clercq was found in possession of human growth hormone and Aranesp, a synthetic drug which increases red blood cell levels, which Museeuw obtained from Jose Landuyt. The court proceedings were adjourned until 23 September 2008, pending a ruling from the Constitutional Court on the point of law.