Mark Renshaw facts for kids
Renshaw at the 2019 Tour of Britain
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Mark Renshaw | ||
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| Born | 22 October 1982 Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) | ||
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| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
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Mark Renshaw (born 22 October 1982) is a retired professional racing cyclist from Australia. He competed from 2004 to 2019. Renshaw was famous for being a sprinter and one of the best lead-out specialists in the world. A lead-out specialist is a cyclist who rides at very high speed in front of their team's main sprinter, helping them save energy for the final dash to the finish line.
Renshaw is best known for helping his teammate Mark Cavendish win many races. He was Cavendish's main lead-out man from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2014 until he retired. Some of Renshaw's biggest personal victories include winning the 2011 Tour of Qatar and the Clásica de Almería in 2013.
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Early Life and Track Cycling
Mark Renshaw was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. He started his cycling journey as a track cyclist at the Bathurst Cycle Club. A track cyclist races on a special sloped track called a velodrome. He was very talented from a young age.
As a junior rider, Renshaw won many Australian national championships. He also competed in the Junior World Track Championships. He became a world champion in the team sprint event. Later, he won individual world titles in the 1000m time trial and defended the team sprint title, making him a triple world junior champion.
In 2002, Renshaw had a great year as a senior track cyclist. He was part of the Australian team that won a gold medal and set a new world record in the team pursuit at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He also won a gold medal at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in the same event.
Professional Road Racing Career
Renshaw decided to focus on road racing to become a professional cyclist. In 2004, he joined the French team FDJeux.com.
Moving to the Road
After two years with his first team, Renshaw moved to the Crédit Agricole team in 2006. His main job was to be the lead-out man for the famous sprinter Thor Hushovd. Renshaw quickly showed he was a strong sprinter himself. He won the first stage of the Tour Down Under, a major race in his home country of Australia.
In 2008, Renshaw raced in his first Tour de France. He did a great job helping his teammate Hushovd win a stage. This performance showed everyone how good he was at being a lead-out man.
Teaming Up with Mark Cavendish
In 2009, Renshaw joined the Team Columbia–High Road team. He became the main lead-out rider for Mark Cavendish, one of the fastest sprinters in history. Together, they became a powerful duo. Renshaw was praised for his skill in guiding Cavendish to many victories. People started calling him "the world's best lead-out man."
At the 2009 Tour de France, Renshaw perfectly led out Cavendish to win the final stage in Paris. Renshaw was so fast that he even finished in second place himself.
The 2010 Tour de France
Renshaw's 2010 season started with a challenge when he was diagnosed with Epstein–Barr virus, which made him very tired. He recovered in time for the 2010 Tour de France.
During the sprint at the end of stage 11, Renshaw was disqualified from the race. Race officials said he had head-butted another rider, Julian Dean, while leading out Cavendish. They said it was not fair racing. This was a very rare and serious decision. However, some people, like former champion Sean Kelly, disagreed. Kelly said that Renshaw's move was a normal reaction to the other rider's movement.
More Success and a New Team
In 2011, Renshaw had a great season. He won the 2011 Tour of Qatar race overall. At the 2011 Tour de France, he once again helped Mark Cavendish win five stages and the green jersey, which is awarded to the best sprinter.
In 2012, Renshaw joined the Dutch team Rabobank. He wanted the chance to be the main sprinter and win races for himself. Cavendish said that no one could replace Renshaw as his lead-out man. That year, Renshaw won a stage at the 2012 Tour of Turkey.
Reuniting with Cavendish and Retirement
On 10 July 2013, it was announced that Renshaw would rejoin Mark Cavendish at the Omega Pharma–Quick-Step team for the 2014 season. They were happy to be working together again. In 2014, Renshaw won a stage at the 2014 Tour of Britain.
Renshaw continued to be Cavendish's trusted lead-out man for several more years, moving with him to the team Team Dimension Data. He helped Cavendish in many more races until he retired from professional cycling in 2019.
Personal Life
Renshaw's grandparents are from the Netherlands and moved to Australia after World War II. In 2010, he married his longtime partner, Kristina Harris. They have three children together.
Major Wins
Here are some of Mark Renshaw's most important career victories:
- Track Cycling
World Champion
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- 2002 & 2004: Team Pursuit
- 1999 & 2000: Junior Team Sprint
- 2000: Junior 1km Time Trial
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- 2002: Gold Medal, Team Pursuit
- 2002: Silver Medal, Points Race
- Road Cycling
- 2011 Tour of Qatar: Overall Winner
- Clásica de Almería: 2013
- Tour Down Under: 1 stage win (2008)
- Tour of Britain: 1 stage win (2011)
- Giro d'Italia: 2 team time trial stage wins (2009, 2011)
See also
In Spanish: Mark Renshaw para niños
