Mark Renshaw (born 22 October 1982) is a retired

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

racing cyclist Cycle sport is Competition, competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing ...

, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2019 for the , , , , and teams. His most notable wins are the general classification of the

2011 Tour of Qatar The 2011 Tour of Qatar was the tenth edition of the Tour of Qatar cycling stage race. It was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Asia Tour, and was held from 6 February to 11 February 2011, in Qatar. The previous race was won by Wouter Mol of . Team ...

, and the one-day race

Clásica de Almería The Clásica de Almería ( en, Classic of Almería) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in February or March in Almería, Spain, starting and finishing in Almería itself. Established in 1986, the race was run as an amateur event in i ...

in 2013. From 2009 to 2011 and from 2014 until his retirement, Renshaw was known as the main lead-out man for fellow sprinter

Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...

at , and .

Early life and amateur career

Renshaw, who was born in Bathurst,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, began his career as a track cyclist riding for the Bathurst Cycle Club. Being coached at club level by Mark Windsor, he showed early promise, and went on to be selected for th
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). 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. 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 season's end his focus had switched to longer events. He was an

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

scholarship holder for the 2004 Athens Summer Olympic Games. 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.

Professional career

2004–2008: Transition to road

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 squad in 2004. Renshaw returned to the track in 2004, and in the World Championships competed in the Madison, Points Race and Team Pursuit. Renshaw crashed out in the Points race, and finished 4th in the Madison. The Australian Team Pursuit team went on to win Gold. 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 Stuart O'Grady (born 6 August 1973) is a retired Australian professional road bicycle racer, who rode as a professional between 1995 and 2013. A former track cyclist, O'Grady and Graeme Brown won a gold medal in the Men's Madison at the 2004 S ...

to partner

Graeme Brown Graeme Allen Brown Order of Australia, OAM (born 9 April 1979) is an Australian former professional cycle sport, cyclist, who competed professionally between 2002 and 2016 for the , and teams. A former Australian Institute of Sport scholarsh ...

over Renshaw in the madison event. Renshaw still competed in the Points Race, where he placed 6th. Renshaw stayed with FDJeux.com for two seasons, before he moved to , with the main aim of using his track bike handling experience to ride as lead-out for

Thor Hushovd Thor Hushovd (born 18 January 1978) is a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer. He is known for sprinting and time trialing; Hushovd is a three-time Norwegian national road race champion (2004, 2010, 2013), and was the winner of th ...

. 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 Hushovd's 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 The Tour Down Under (branded as the Santos Tour Down Under under a partnership arrangement) is a cycling race in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and is traditionally the opening event of the UCI World Tour and features all 19 UCI WorldTe ...

. Renshaw went on to lead the general classification, until the penultimate Willunga Hill stage, where his lack of climbing ability meant he lost considerable time and the race lead to future teammate

André Greipel André Greipel (born 16 July 1982) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2021. Since his retirement, Greipel now works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team . Born in Rostock, East ...

. It was during his time with Credit Agricole that Renshaw made his Tour de France debut in

2008 Tour de France The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th running of the race. The event took place from 5 to 27 July. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regu ...

, after missing the 2007 race through illness. In the 2008 race, Renshaw received great praise for his role in Hushovd's win on Stage 2 of the race.

2009

After the Credit Agricole team folded at the end of 2008, Renshaw was hired for . His primary responsibility in major races was as lead-out rider for sprinter

. 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". Renshaw's individual highlight of the 2009 season was possibly his second-placed finish on the final stage of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

, after a lead-out that also gave Cavendish the victory.

2010: Tour de France disqualification

After a successful first season as leadout man for Cavendish in 2009, Renshaw was primed for a big season in 2010. His planned season schedule was to ride the

, the

and then the

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

– being held for the first time 'at home' for Renshaw, in Australia. These plans soon changed when he was diagnosed with

Epstein–Barr virus The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), formally called ''Human gammaherpesvirus 4'', is one of the nine known human herpesvirus types in the herpes family, and is one of the most common viruses in humans. EBV is a double-stranded DNA virus. It is b ...

in the pre-season which put his whole season behind. Renshaw missed his home tour, and did not return to Europe and serious training until February. This, coincidentally, roughly matched a delayed start to Cavendish's season (due to a tooth infection), and also meant that Renshaw was peaking later for his goal of the World Championships late in the year. Renshaw's season goals remained the World Championships, the Tour de France — as leadout man for Cavendish, as well as the

Tour of California The Tour of California (officially sponsored as the Amgen Tour of California) was an annual professional road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race on the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour that ran from 2006 to 2019. It was the ...

, where he would again be riding for Cavendish. During the sprint finish of stage 11 in the Tour de France, while leading out Cavendish, Renshaw was disqualified and removed from the race for head-butting ' leadout man,

Julian Dean Julian Dean (born 28 January 1975) is a former professional road racing cyclist from New Zealand who competed as a professional between 1999 and 2013. He last rode for UCI World Tour team , where he now works as an assistant sporting director a ...

and unfair blocking of

Tyler Farrar Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...

by forcing him into the barriers. After the race, Tour technical director Jean-Francois Pescheux explained, "Renshaw is out. We watched the film once and it was blatant. He head-butted Dean like in a keirin race...This is a bike race, not a gladiator's arena. Everybody could have ended up on their backs." The punishment was unprecedented, the last time someone was removed from the race for a non-doping related offence was

Tom Steels Tom Steels (born 2 September 1971) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, specialising in sprint finishes and one-day races. He was one of the top sprinters in the peloton. Steels competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, ...

in 1997, for throwing his water bottle at a competitor during the sprint finish — an offence rated much more severe and unsportsman-like. Four times Green Jersey winner, Sean Kelly disagreed: "When you consider the first movement from Dean, who was moving from right to left, the head butting was normal...".

2011

Renshaw had a successful 2011 season, winning stage 4 and then the general classification of the

Tour of Qatar The Tour of Qatar was an annual professional cycling stage race held in Qatar. First organized in 2002, the event was part of the UCI Asia Tour until 2016. The 2017 edition was to have seen the event upgraded to the UCI World Tour for the firs ...

– beating notable sprinters

Tom Boonen Tom Boonen (; born 15 October 1980) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 2002 and 2017 for the and teams and a professional racing driver who currently competes in Belcar, having previously competed in ...

Daniele Bennati Daniele Bennati (born 24 September 1980) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2002 and 2019 for the , , , , , , and squads. Specialising in fast sprint finishes, Bennati turned professional in 2002, when ...

and

Heinrich Haussler Heinrich Haussler (born 25 February 1984) is an Australian road racing cyclist of German heritage, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won 2 stages in Grand Tours during his career, one at the 2005 Vuelta a España and another at th ...

. Then he went on to reaffirm his reputation as the World's best lead-out man at the

– helping Mark Cavendish to five stage wins and the Green Jersey. However Renshaw's season ended in disappointment when he was controversially overlooked for the Australian World Championships team – in what was deemed a sprinter friendly circuit. It was claimed by Renshaw and others in the media that this may have been because he had not signed for new Australian Pro-Team . Renshaw responded by placing second – after leading out teammate Cavendish – in the first two stages of the

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...

, before going on to win Stage 5 himself.

2012

Renshaw signed with the Dutch squad before the start of the 2012 season, taking the chance to race for himself rather than continuing to lead-out Cavendish. After hearing the news, Cavendish claimed that no one could do the same job Renshaw had done for him the previous three years, reiterating the point that he believed Renshaw to be the best in the world at leading out a sprinter. Renshaw won stage 4 of the

Tour of Turkey The Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey ( tr, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Bisiklet Turu) is a professional road bicycle racing stage race held annually in Turkey since 1963. In 2005 the race became part of the UCI Europe Tour, rated as a 2.2 even ...

. The mass sprint was an extremely close affair with Renshaw taking the win over fellow

Matthew Goss Matthew Harley Goss (born 5 November 1986) is a former Australian professional road and track racing cyclist, his final professional team before retirement was the UCI Professional Continental team . He first competed in track cycling before ...

. The narrow margin was impossible to distinguish with the naked eye, even on the photo-finish. Renshaw withdrew from the

on Stage 12 in the mountains with approximately to go, after succumbing to injuries from four separate falls earlier in the Tour.

2013

In 2013, his team's name changed to , as decided to withdraw their cycling sponsorship. In February at the

, Renshaw benefited from a good lead-out and bagged his first win of the season. In April, Renshaw crashed heavily in the final stretch of the

's second stage while he was the second man on the road, causing a mass pile-up. He fractured his collarbone, suffered a concussion and lost a tooth in the accident. On 10 July, it was announced that Renshaw would join for the 2014 season, joining former team-mate

at the squad.

2014

In September, as his leader Cavendish did not feel on form after multiple crashes, Renshaw took sprinting duties at the

and prevailed in the mass gallop of Stage 2.

2015

Renshaw spent the 2015 season working as Cavendish's lead-out man, with his best personal result a third-place finish at the

, which Cavendish won. On 29 September, it was announced that he had joined Cavendish and their former teammate

Bernhard Eisel Bernhard Eisel (born 17 February 1981) is an Austrian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2019 for the , , , and teams. Following his retirement, he worked as an analyst and presenter for Eurosport ...

in signing for – later renamed as – for the 2016 season.

Personal life

Renshaw has Dutch grandparents who emigrated to Australia after the Second World War. In November 2009, Renshaw announced his engagement to longtime partner Kristina Harris. They married in a private ceremony in

Mudgee Mudgee is a town in the Central West (New South Wales), Central West of New South Wales, Australia. It is in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley north-west of Sydney and is the largest town in the Mid-Western Regional Council Local gover ...

, New South Wales in November 2010. The couple have three children.

Major results

;1997 : 1st MaillotAustralia

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

, National Junior Road Championships ;1999 : 1st Jersey rainbow

Team sprint,

UCI Junior Track World Championships The UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships (named the UCI Juniors Track World Championships before 2016) are a set of world championship events for junior riders, for various disciplines and distances in track cycling and are regulated by t ...

: National Junior Track Championships ::1st MaillotAustralia

Team pursuit ::1st MaillotAustralia

Team sprint ;2000 :

::1st

Kilo ::1st Jersey rainbow

Team sprint : 1st MaillotAustralia

, National Under-23 Road Championships : National Junior Track Championships ::1st MaillotAustralia

Scratch ::1st MaillotAustralia

Team pursuit ::1st MaillotAustralia

Team sprint ;2001 : National Track Championships ::1st MaillotAustralia

Kilo ::1st MaillotAustralia

Madison ::1st MaillotAustralia

Points race ::1st MaillotAustralia

Scratch ;2002 : 1st Jersey rainbow

Team pursuit The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, starting on opposite sides of the velodrome. Race format Both men's and women's events are competed over ...

UCI Track Cycling World Championships The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Before 1900, they were administered by the UCI ...

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

::1st

Team pursuit ::2nd Silver medal blank

Points race : National Track Championships ::1st MaillotAustralia

Points race ::1st MaillotAustralia

Scratch ::1st MaillotAustralia

Team pursuit ;2003 : 1st MaillotAustralia

Madison, National Track Championships : 1st Overall Be Active Instead Criterium Series ::1st Stages 2 & 3 : 1st Stage 3 Niederbronn Trophée des Sources : 2nd Trofeo Città di Brescia : 7th

Grote Prijs Jef Scherens Grote Prijs Jef Scherens is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Leuven, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after the seven-time professional sprint world c ...

;2004 : 1st Jersey rainbow

;2005 : 2nd

Grand Prix de Denain Grand Prix de Denain is a professional cycle road race held in Denain, France. For 10 years from 2005 the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions whi ...

: 9th Overall

Grande Prémio Internacional Costa Azul Grande Prémio Internacional Costa Azul was a stage cycling race held annually in Portugal. It was part of UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of r ...

: 9th Overall

Herald Sun Tour The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six-day event. It is now held annually ...

;2006 : 1st Tro-Bro Léon : 1st Stage 3 ( TTT)

Tour Méditerranéen Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...

: 3rd Overall

Bay Classic Series The Bay Classic Series (currently running as the Lexus of Blackburn Bay Crits) is a road cycling race held annually in and around Port Phillip Bay in Victoria, Australia. The race consists of both a men's and a women's competition over three stage ...

::1st Stage 5 : 8th Overall

Circuit Franco-Belge Circuit may refer to: Science and technology Electrical engineering * Electrical circuit, a complete electrical network with a closed-loop giving a return path for current ** Analog circuit, uses continuous signal levels ** Balanced circu ...

: 10th

Grand Prix de Villers-Cotterêts The Grand Prix de Villers-Cotterêts was a single-day road bicycle race held annually in the commune of Villers-Cotterêts, France from 1998 until 2008. In 2005 and 2006, the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, and was also ...

;2007 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 2 : 1st

Down Under Classic The Down Under Classic (currently known as the Schwalbe Classic, and previously known as the People's Choice Classic and Cancer Council Helpline Classic for sponsorship reasons), is a criterium around Rymill Park in Adelaide, South Australia, Au ...

: 1st Stage 2

Tour de Picardie The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a se ...

: 2nd

Tour de Vendée Tour of Vendée is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in October (Previously May) in the region of Vendée, France, finishing in a circuit inside La Roche-sur-Yon town. From 2005 until 2009, the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the ...

: 6th Overall

;2008 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 1st Stage 1

: 1st Stage 2

: 2nd

Vattenfall Cyclassics The Hamburg Cyclassics (currently known as the Bemer Cyclassics for sponsorship purposes) is an annual one-day professional and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg, Germany. Although the route varies, its distance is always around 250 ...

;2009 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT) Giro d'Italia : 8th

;2010 : 1st Stage 4

Danmark Rundt Danmark Rundt is a Danish stage race for professional road bicycle racers organized as a part of the UCI Continental Circuits. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, PostNord, and the race is therefore also known as PostN ...

;2011 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 4 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT) Giro d'Italia : 1st Stage 5

;2012 : 1st Stage 4

: 2nd

Paris–Brussels The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a semi classic European bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur eve ...

: 3rd

Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen (previously GP Rik Van Steenbergen) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Arendonk, Belgium. The race, paying respect to the famous Belgian rider of the 1940s and 1950s, quickly gained importa ...

: 3rd

Dutch Food Valley Classic Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People ...

: 4th

Ronde van Zeeland Seaports Ronde van Zeeland Seaports is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Zeeland, Netherlands. The race was created in 2012, as a 1.1 race on the UCI Europe Tour, after financial issues curtailed the Delta Tour Zeeland stage-race, which had ...

: 5th Overall World Ports Classic : 6th

;2013 : 1st

: 1st Stage 1

Eneco Tour The Benelux Tour (previously known as the Eneco Tour and the BinckBank Tour) is a road bicycle racing stage-race that is part of the UCI World Tour. The race was established in 2005 and was originally known as the Eneco Tour, named after the orig ...

;2014 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...

: 1st Stage 2

: 5th Road race,

;2015 : 3rd

: 9th

;2016 : 2nd

London–Surrey Classic The London–Surrey Classic (also known as the RideLondon–Surrey Classic) was an annual men's professional one-day road cycling race, starting and finishing in London and routed via the picturesque Surrey Hills. The first race of its kind wa ...

: 5th

Rund um Köln The Rund um Köln is a classic cycling race around the German city of Cologne. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 1.1 race (in 2007 the race was categorised as 1.HC). It is one of the oldest cycling races still runn ...

: 7th

EuroEyes Cyclassics The Hamburg Cyclassics (currently known as the Bemer Cyclassics for sponsorship purposes) is an annual one-day professional and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg, Germany. Although the route varies, its distance is always around 250 ...

;2017 : 6th

Grand Tour results timeline

References

External links

Mark Renshaw's profile at Cycling Base
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Renshaw, Mark 1982 births Living people Australian male cyclists Australian track cyclists Cyclists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Cyclists from New South Wales Australian Institute of Sport cyclists Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey stage winners Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Australia Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling