- Mark Renshaw
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Mark Renshaw Personal information Full name Mark Renshaw Nickname Markieemark/Prince Harry Born October 22, 1982
Bathurst, AustraliaTeam information Current team HTC-Highroad Discipline Road Role Rider Rider type Sprinter
Leadout - ManProfessional team(s) 2004–2005
2006–2008
2009–2011
2012–FDJeux.com
Crédit Agricole
Team Columbia-High Road
RabobankMajor wins Giro d'Italia, 2 Stages (TTT)
Tour Down Under, Stage 1
Down Under Classic (2007)
Tour of Qatar (2011)
Bay Classic Series (2007, 2008)
Medal recordCompetitor for Australia
Track cycling Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester Team pursuit Silver 2002 Manchester Points race World Championships Gold 2002 Copenhagen Team pursuit Infobox last updated on
January 22, 2008Mark Renshaw (born 22 October 1982) is an Australian racing cyclist with UCI ProTeam HTC-Highroad, who is considered one of the best lead-out men in the world.
Contents
Early career
Renshaw, who was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, began his career as a track cyclist riding for the Bathurst Cycle Club. Being coached at club level by Mark Windsor,[1] he showed early promise, and went on to be selected for the Western Region Academy of Sport (where Windsor remained his coach). At the Under 17s level, in the 1998 Australian Track Championships, he won gold in the Teams Pursuit (Australian Record), Scratch Race, Time Trial, and Individual Pursuit (Australian Record), and silver in the Flying 200m Time Trial.
As a first-year under 19 rider, Renshaw continued to achieve strong results on the velodrome. His results included 3rd in the time trial (behind eventual World Champion Ben Kersten and World Championship Bronze Medalist Jobie Dajka), 4th in the Individual Pursuit, 5th in the Flying 200m Time Trial, 3rd in the Sprint (again behind Dajka and Kersten who were both again top 3 in the World Championships), 1st in the Teams Pursuit (with NSW); and 1st in the Olympic Sprint (again with NSW).[2] Renshaw was then selected to compete for Australia in the Junior World Track Championships, where he became a World Champion, alongside Jobie Dajka and Ben Kersten, in the Olympic Sprint.
As a second-year Under 19 rider, Renshaw had a very successful national track championship, mirroring that of his earlier success as a second year Under 17 rider. He was 1st in the Olympic Sprint, 1st in the Time Trial, 2nd in the Individual Pursuit, 1st in the Team Pursuit, 4th in the Keirin and 1st in the Scratch Race.[3] Again Renshaw was chosen to compete in the Junior World Championships. In these Championships, Renshaw added individual World Championship success to his Team's success from the previous season, returning to Australia a champion in the 1000m Time Trial, as well as defending his team's crown in the Olympic Sprint, and thus becoming a Triple World Junior Champion.
As a senior Renshaw began to concentrate more on an endurance programme, in the hope of becoming a professional road cyclist. However in 2001, as a first year senior, he won the Overall Track World Cup in his pet event as a junior, the 1 km Time Trial. It was a transition season however, and by seasons end his focus had switched to longer events.
Transition to road
2002 was a breakthrough year for Renshaw as an endurance track cyclist. Throughout the year he placed consistently in the Points Race, Madison and Teams Pursuit. And went on to be part of the Australian Team Pursuit team that broke the World Record at the Manchester Commonwealth Games (along with Graeme Brown, Peter Dawson and Luke Roberts). He was also later part of the Australian senior World Championship-winning Team Pursuit team.
In 2002 Renshaw's road career also began to take off when he was selected in the Brad McGee-organized NSWIS-FDJeux Development squad. Because of Renshaw's involvement in this squad he was soon riding in France with amateur squad SCO Dijon, which opened the door for him to join the senior FDJeux.com squad in 2004.[4]
Renshaw returned to the track in 2004, and in the World Championships competed in the Madison, Points Race and Teams Pursuit. Renshaw crashed out in the Points race, and finished 4th in the Madison. The Australian Team Pursuit team went on to win Gold but Mark missed his second senior World Title, because he only competed in one round (the Qualifying Round) after his fall in the Points Race. After having raced all of the World Cup rounds in the Madison event, and in the process qualifying Australia for the Olympic spot, Renshaw was selected to ride the Points Race and the Madison at the Games. However, there was controversy when in the lead up to the event, Australian selectors chose experienced road rider, Stuart O'Grady to partner Graeme Brown over Renshaw in the madison event.[5] Renshaw still competed in the Points Race, where he placed 6th.
Renshaw stayed with FDJeux.com for two seasons, before he moved to Credit Agricole, with the main aim of using his track bike handling experience to ride as lead-out for Thor Hushovd. Renshaw showed strong early season form, taking out the Geelong Bay Series Criterium for the second consecutive year. This led to him racing as Credit Agricole's main sprinter in the early events (with Hushovds season yet to commence), where he picked up his first Pro-Tour victory in the first stage of his 'local' Pro-Tour event, the Tour Down Under. Renshaw went on to lead the General Classification of the Tour Down Under, until the penultimate Willunga Hill stage, where his lack of climbing ability meant he lost considerable time and the race lead to future team mate Andre Greipel.[6]
It was during his time with Credit Agricole that Renshaw made his Tour de France debut in 2008, after missing the 2007 race through illness. In the 2008 race, Renshaw received great praise for his role in Thor Hushovd's win on Stage 2 of the race.[7]
After the Credit Agricole team folded at the end of 2008, Renshaw was hired for team Columbia-High Road. His primary responsibility in major races was as lead-out rider for sprinter Mark Cavendish.[8] After his first season with Columbia in 2009, Renshaw received praise from commentators and fellow riders alike for his part in Cavendish's hugely successful Tour and season in general, and was now commonly referred to as "the World's best lead-out man".[9][10] Renshaw's individual highlight of the 2009 season was possibly his second placed finish on the final stage of the Tour de France, after a lead-out that also gave Cavendish the victory.
Road career
After a successful first season as leadout man for Mark Cavendish, with HTC-Columbia in 2009, Renshaw was primed for a big season in 2010. His planned season schedule was to ride the Tour Down Under, the Tour de France and then the World Championships - being held for the first time 'at home' for Mark, in Australia. These plans soon changed when he was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus in the pre-season which put his whole season behind. Renshaw missed his home tour, the Tour Down Under.
2010 Tour de France disqualification
During the sprint finish of Stage 11 in the 2010 Tour de France, while leading out Team HTC-Columbia's sprinter Mark Cavendish, Renshaw was disqualified and removed from the race for head-butting Garmin-Transitions' leadout man, Julian Dean.[11]
Private life
In November 2009, Mark announced his engagement to longtime partner Kristina Harris. They married in a private ceremony in Mudgee, NSW in November 2010.
Career highlights
- 1998
- 1st
Individual Pursuit U17 Australian National Track Championships (Australian Record)
- 1st
Team Pursuit U17 Australian National Track Championships (Australian Record)
- 1st
Scratch Race U17 Australian National Track Championships
- 1st
Time Trial U17 Australian National Track Championships
- 1999
- 1st
World U19 Team Sprint Champion
- 1st
Team Pursuit U19 Australian National Track Championships
- 1st
Team Sprint U19 Australian National Track Championships
- 2000
- 1st
World U19 Kilometer Champion
- 1st
World U19 Team Sprint Champion
- 1st
Team Sprint U19 Australian National Track Championships
- 1st
Time Trial U19 Australian National Track Championships
- 1st
Team Pursuit U19 Australian National Track Championships
- 1st
Scratch Race U19 Australian National Track Championships
- 2001
- 1st
Time Trial Australian National Track Championships
- 2002
- 1st
World Team Pursuit Champion
- 1st
Team Pursuit Commonwealth Games Manchester
- 1st
Points Race Australian National Track Championships
- 1st
Teams Pursuit Australian National Track Championships
- 1st
Scratch Race Australian National Track Championships
- 2nd
Points race Commonwealth Games Manchester
- 2003
- 1st Overall, Be Active Instead Criterium Series
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Stage 3
- 1st Stage 3 Niederbronn Trophée des Sources
- 2004
- 1st World Championships Team Pursuit (Qualifying round only, so not classed as a World Champion)
- 6th Athens Olympic Games Points Race
- 2005
- 2nd GP de Denain
- 8th Prologue Giro d'Italia
- 2006
- 1st Stage 3, Tour Méditerranéen
- 1st Tro-Bro Léon
- 3rd Overall, Geelong Bay Classic Series
- 1st Stage 5
- 2007
- 1st
Overall Bay Classic Series
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Down Under Classic
- 1st Stage 2 Tour de Picardie
- 2nd GP de Denain,
- 2nd Tour de Vendée
- 2008
- 1st
Overall Bay Classic Series
- 1st Stage 3
- 1st Stage 1 Tour Down Under
- 2nd Down Under Classic
- 2nd Vattenfall Cyclassics
- 2009
- 1st Stage 1 TTT Giro d'Italia
- 2nd Stage 21 Tour de France
- 2010
- 1st Stage 4 Danmark Rundt
- 2nd Stage 1 Tour de France
- 2011
- 1st
Overall Tour of Qatar
- 1st Stage 4
- 1st Stage 1 TTT Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stage 5 Tour of Britain
Riders on HTC-Highroad Michael Albasini | Lars Bak | Matt Brammeier | Mark Cavendish | John Degenkolb | Bernhard Eisel | Caleb Fairly | Jan Ghyselinck | Matthew Goss | Bert Grabsch | Patrick Gretsch | Leigh Howard | Craig Lewis | Tony Martin | Danny Pate | Marco Pinotti | František Raboň | Mark Renshaw | Hayden Roulston | Kanstantsin Siutsou | Gatis Smukulis | Tejay van Garderen | Martin Velits | Peter Velits | Manager: Bob Stapleton
Notes
- ^ "Mark Renshaw Bio Cycling.org". http://www.cycling.org.au/default.asp?id=8874. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
- ^ "CyclingNews Presents Australian National Track Cycling Championships 1999". http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/feb99/oztrack99.html. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ^ "CyclingNews Presents Australian National Track Cycling Championships 2000". http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/results/2000/mar00/oztrack009.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ^ "Mark Renshaw - Australia Pro Cyclist". http://www.mrenshaw.com/. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ^ "Bitter Renshaw lashes out over dumping". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2004-08-25. http://www.smh.com.au/olympics/articles/2004/08/25/1093246602577.html.
- ^ "10th Tour Down Under - Stage 5". http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2008/jan08/tdu08/?id=results/tdu085.
- ^ "HUSHOVD TAKES STAGE 2 OF TOUR DE FRANCE". http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/346607/hushovd-takes-stage-2-of-tour-de-france.html.
- ^ "Mark Renshaw - Team Colombia-High Road". http://www.highroadsports.com/team/52-Mark-Renshaw.
- ^ "Renshaw is key to Cav's winning ways". http://www.velonews.com/article/95179.
- ^ "Renshaw on the podium in Paris". http://www.cycling.org.au/?page=34540.
- ^ "Mark Cavendish claims controversial Tour de France win". BBC News. 2010-07-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/8826472.stm.
Categories:- 1982 births
- Living people
- Australian cyclists
- Track cyclists
- Commonwealth Games competitors for Australia
- Cyclists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
- Sportspeople from New South Wales
- Australian Institute of Sport alumni
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