Renshaw is key to Cav’s winning ways

By Andrew Hood

Behind every great sprinter — or perhaps in front of — is a great lead-out man.

Mario Cipollini had Giovanni Lombardi, Alessandro Petacchi had Marco Velo. Mark Cavendish, who is quickly establishing himself as the man to beat in the high-speed sprints, has found his man.

Mark Renshaw, a 27-year-old Australian who joined the Columbia-HTC team this season, is the rider who delivers Cavendish to the line.

Cavendish is quick to point out that the success is thanks to a team effort, but singled out Renshaw as the best in the business.

“The results of the sprints speak for themselves. For me, he’s the best lead-out man in the world,” Cavendish told VeloNews. “With a pilot like George (Hincapie) in front of him and the team setting up the sprints, it’s absolutely perfect. Mark makes my job a hell of a lot easier.”

Renshaw, 27, joined Columbia-HTC this season in the wake of the collapse of the Crédit Agricole team, where he served as Thor Hushovd’s lead-out man last year.

Hushovd’s loss is Cavendish’s gain.

Bob Stapleton said Renshaw was just what Cavendish needed, a lead-out man with experience whom the budding superstar could count on to finish off the work of the well-oiled Columbia-HTC train.

“He’s huge. Cavendish trusts him implicitly,” Stapleton told VeloNews. “(Cavendish) knows he has the best wheel, he puts his head down and gets into the draft and waits for his chance to go. That confidence between the two of them is a big part of Mark’s success.”

Cavendish and Renshaw quickly formed a bond and deep trust. The pair room together during the Tour and Cavendish defers to Renshaw when it comes to organizing the chase in the decisive final kilometers, which takes pressure off Cavendish and allows him to focus on the sprint.

“Renshaw is the artist. He will create the finale and knows that takes a lot of pressure off Cav’,” said Columbia-HTC sport director Allan Peiper. “Cav’ doesn’t have to be directing the show. Renshaw is always behind the scenes, directing the guys, organizing who is doing what role, how they are going to do it. He takes over in the last couple of kilometers. It takes pressure off Mark so he can focus on the sprint.”

So far, the results have been deadly.

Cavendish is three for four in sprints so far. The only one Cavendish didn’t win was up Montjuic in Barcelona when the climbing finish made it every man for himself.

Every rider’s role is well-defined on the Columbia train.

On a typical stage, Bernard Eisel and Bert Grabsch set tempo on the front of the bunch once a breakaway pulls clear. The team’s GC riders, Michael Rogers and Kim Kirchen, will lend a hand if a pair of fresh legs is required to finish off the kill.

Then Tony Martin drills it in the closing kilometers, setting a high pace so that other trains cannot barge the Columbia lead-out. George Hincapie will take over once the team roars under the red kite with 1km to go, steering the pack within sight of the line.

When Renshaw sticks his nose to the wind with roughly 500 meters to go, the speed is already hitting 70kph.

It’s when Renshaw peels off within about 200 meters of the line that Cavendish finally slips out from behind the protective cocoon of the bunch with nothing but asphalt between him and the finish line.

“We’re going so fast by then, no one can come by,” Renshaw said. “Then the moment I start to die, he has to go. Cav’ has complete trust in me. He’s pretty much unbeatable with the lead-outs we’ve given him.”

That’s pretty much how it unfolded in Tuesday’s stage. After he steered Cavendish through a dangerous finale, Renshaw had another front-row view of the victory.

Cavendish was quick to tip his hat to his teammate.

“Mark Renshaw is the man of the day,” Cavendish said. “It was a technical finish, slightly uphill, and very twisty, but Mark did a great job taking me through those last corners. Really, all I had to do was finish off the work.”

Follow Andrew Hood’s twitter at twitter.com/eurohoody.

FILED UNDER: News / Road / Tour de France TAGS: Tour de France

Andrew Hood

Hood cut his journalistic teeth at Colorado dailies before the web boom opened the door to European cycling in the mid-1990s. Hood's covered every Tour since 1996 and has been VeloNews' European correspondent since 2002. He lives in Leon, Spain, when he's not chasing bike races.

• All articles by Andrew