Mark Renshaw facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mark Renshaw

Renshaw at the 2019 Tour of Britain
Personal information
Full name	Mark Renshaw
Nickname	Markieemark Prince Harry
Born	(1982-10-22) 22 October 1982 (age 42) Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	73 kg (161 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter Lead-out specialist
Major wins
Grand Tours Giro d'Italia 2 TTT stages (2009, 2011) Stage races Tour of Qatar (2011) Single-day races and Classics Clásica de Almería (2013)

Mark Renshaw (born 22 October 1982) is a retired Australian racing cyclist. He rode professionally from 2004 to 2019. Mark was known for being a top "lead-out man" for other sprinters. A lead-out rider helps their team's main sprinter win races. They do this by riding very fast in front of the sprinter. This protects the sprinter from the wind and other riders. Then, at the right moment, they move aside. This allows the sprinter to burst forward for the win.

Mark Renshaw's most important wins include the 2011 Tour of Qatar and the Clásica de Almería race in 2013. He worked with famous sprinter Mark Cavendish for many years.

Early Life and Track Cycling Success

Mark Renshaw was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. He started his cycling journey as a track cyclist. He rode for the Bathurst Cycle Club. His coach, Mark Windsor, helped him show great talent early on.

As a young rider, Mark achieved amazing results. In 1998, at the Under 17s Australian Track Championships, he won four gold medals. These included the Team Pursuit, Scratch Race, and Time Trial. He also set new Australian records.

He continued to excel as an Under 19 rider. He won the Team Sprint at the Junior World Track Championships. This made him a World Champion. The next year, he won two more Junior World Champion titles. He won the 1000m Time Trial and defended his team's crown in the Olympic Sprint. This made him a Triple World Junior Champion.

As a senior cyclist, Mark focused more on endurance events. In 2001, he won the Overall Track World Cup in the 1 km Time Trial. In 2002, he was part of the Australian Team Pursuit team. They broke the World Record at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He also helped the Australian team win the senior World Championship in Team Pursuit.

Becoming a Professional Road Cyclist

Mark Renshaw started his road cycling career in 2002. He joined a development team linked to the professional FDJ team. This led him to ride for the senior FDJeux.com team in 2004.

In 2004, Mark also returned to track cycling for the World Championships. He won a gold medal with the Australian Team Pursuit team. He then competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He finished 6th in the Points Race.

After two seasons with FDJ, Mark moved to the Crédit Agricole team in 2006. His main goal was to use his track skills to be a lead-out rider for Thor Hushovd. Mark showed strong form early on. He won the Geelong Bay Series Criterium for the second year in a row. He also got his first big win in a professional race. This was a stage win at the 2006 Tour Down Under in Australia.

Mark made his debut in the Tour de France in 2008. He was praised for helping Thor Hushovd win a stage.

Joining Mark Cavendish

Renshaw at the 2009 Sparkassen Giro Bochum

In 2009, Mark Renshaw joined the Team Columbia–High Road team. Here, he became the main lead-out rider for the famous sprinter Mark Cavendish. After his first year, many people called him "the World's best lead-out man." He helped Cavendish win many races. A highlight for Mark was finishing second on the final stage of the 2009 Tour de France. This was right after leading out Cavendish for the win.

In 2010, Mark faced a challenge. He was diagnosed with a virus that affected his training. This meant he missed some early races. However, he still rode in the 2010 Tour de France to help Cavendish. During one sprint, Mark was disqualified from the race. This happened because of how he rode to help Cavendish. The race officials decided his actions were not allowed.

Continued Success and New Teams

Mark Renshaw had a great 2011 season. He won a stage and the overall title at the 2011 Tour of Qatar. He beat other top sprinters like Tom Boonen. He then helped Mark Cavendish win five stages and the Green Jersey at the 2011 Tour de France.

In 2012, Mark joined the Dutch Rabobank team. He wanted to have more chances to win races himself. He won Stage 4 of the 2012 Tour of Turkey. It was a very close sprint finish. Mark had to leave the 2012 Tour de France early due to injuries from crashes.

In 2013, his team changed its name to Blanco Pro Cycling. Mark won the 2013 Clásica de Almería race in February. In April, he had a bad crash in the 2013 Tour of Turkey. He broke his collarbone and lost a tooth. Later that year, it was announced that Mark would rejoin Mark Cavendish at the Omega Pharma–Quick-Step team for 2014.

In 2014, Mark Renshaw took over sprinting duties at the 2014 Tour of Britain. He won Stage 2 of the race. In 2015, he continued to be Cavendish's lead-out man. His best personal result was third place at the 2015 Clásica de Almería. In September 2015, he signed with MTN–Qhubeka to continue riding with Cavendish.

Personal Life

Mark Renshaw's grandparents came to Australia from the Netherlands after World War II. In 2010, Mark married his longtime partner, Kristina Harris. They have three children together.

Major Results

Grand Tour Results

Mark Renshaw competed in several Grand Tours. These are the three biggest cycling races: the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.

Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019
Giro d'Italia	144	—	—	—	DNF	—	DNF	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	—	DNF
Tour de France	—	—	—	DNF	146	DNF	161	DNF	—	142	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	—
Vuelta a España	—	DNF	143	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Images for kids

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  Renshaw at the 2019 Tour of Britain

• 

  Renshaw at the 2009 Sparkassen Giro Bochum

See also

In Spanish: Mark Renshaw para niños