# David Clinger arrested...



## bkranich

From the local newspaper... www.mcall.com


July 14, 2006 

Bicyclist charged in Berks bar fight

Tattooed athlete, who raced in Lehigh Valley, allegedly was disorderly.
By Tina Peng Of The Morning Call 

Former professional bicycle racer David Clinger, known for the tribal tattoos across his face and scalp, was arrested early Monday after a Berks County bar fight and remained in the county prison Thursday, police said.

Clinger, 28, of Woodland Hills, Calif., was charged with harassment, disorderly conduct, defiant trespass and resisting arrest at the Toad Creek Bar in Topton. He went to prison under $5,000 bail.

Clinger, who recently competed at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, rode with Lance Armstrong on the professional U.S. Postal Service cycling team in 2002 and attracted media attention in 2004 for the facial tattoos.

According to the arrest affidavit, he had harassed bar patrons, refused to leave the bar and grabbed a woman by the waist, dragging her to the floor. When police arrived about 1 a.m. Clinger was struggling with patrons and screaming loudly; he fought with officers until he was taken into custody, the affidavit says.

A witness described Clinger as ''covered in tattoos,'' the affidavit said.

Clinger has been racing at the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Trexlertown, said Velodrome CEO Erin Hartwell. He and a partner placed fifth in June 30's Madison Cup for tag-team racing, and Clinger was scheduled to compete in Tandemonium July 22 at the Velodrome, Hartwell said.

Clinger showed early promise as a strong uphill sprinter but hasn't really followed up on that in recent years, said Neal Rogers, a senior writer at competitive cycling magazine VeloNews.

Clinger won a stage of the Tour de Georgia in 2003 to place eighth overall. In 2000, he competed in the Vuelta a Espana, or the Tour of Spain, one of Europe's three Grand Tours along with the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia.

''To ride in one of the Grand Tours, you're definitely in the top of the sport, even to be on the start list,'' Rogers said.

But Clinger has yet to win any ''huge'' races and this year competed as part of an amateur and not a professional team, Rogers said. Most recent reports focused on Clinger's prominent tattoo. Modeled after the war markings of New Zealand's Maori warriors, it angered managers of Webcor, his team at the time. They ordered him to remove part of the tattoo for fear that it would upset sponsors.

In compliance, Clinger began removing the tattoos on the lower half of his face. His notoriety for those decorations may outshine any of his accomplishments on two wheels, Rogers said.

''He's not somebody that will go down in the annals of American cycling history, except for maybe that tattoo,'' Rogers said.


----------



## PdxMark

*Mugshot*

His mugshot won't be quite this distinctive since he had his facial tat removed in a bid to save his job as a Webcor rider.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/?id=2005/webcorclinger


----------



## wheel_suker

Actually I think it's "worse". After he "left" Webcor he completed that monstrosity. I'm not surprised he got into a fight, he must be the laughing stock of any bar he walks into.


----------



## peter1

*I saw him riding in that area 2 weeks ago.*

I live near Topton (and the infamous Toad Creek bar) and saw Clinger riding helmetless along the Fleetwood - Topton road. (this is all near the Lehigh Valley Velodrome, BTW). It was raining and he was hauling. But he sure looked stupid. I also saw the Colavita team car in Topton a few days later. 

For those who don't know the area, it has some of the best riding on the East Coast. Empty farm roads, short nasty hills, and lots of Amish buggies to keep you on your toes. A number of top amateurs and lower level pros live there.


----------



## salami

I've been following David for a year and a half doing a Documentary,entitled David Clinger:"Road Bike Warrior".This incident among a myriad of unbelievable topics have all been documented.Being an avid cyclist and following David has been an incredible experience.Check out the movie trailer at Salamifilms.com.He discusses the arrest AND things you won't believe in my film!


----------



## crossboy

*The tat is worse*

I too live near the Lehigh area and saw this freak on the "derby" a few times. The derby is a local ride that gets a lot of trackies and elite/pro riders.


----------



## crossboy

salami said:


> I've been following David for a year and a half doing a Documentary,entitled David Clinger:"Road Bike Warrior".This incident among a myriad of unbelievable topics have all been documented.Being an avid cyclist and following David has been an incredible experience.Check out the movie trailer at Salamifilms.com.He discusses the arrest AND things you won't believe in my film!


F-Him. Why don't you make a movie about Decanio, Tyler and all the other embarasments to professional cycling.


----------



## CabDoctor

salami said:


> I've been following David for a year and a half doing a Documentary,entitled David Clinger:"Road Bike Warrior".This incident among a myriad of unbelievable topics have all been documented.Being an avid cyclist and following David has been an incredible experience.Check out the movie trailer at Salamifilms.com.He discusses the arrest AND things you won't believe in my film!


That was hilarious!


----------

