TWELVE months ago Bathurst’s Mark Renshaw and Mark Cavendish were part of the same lead-out train at HTC-Highroad which dominated the sprints in world cycling, but on Sunday as the two sprinters lined up as rivals in the Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne one clearly had the better run to the line.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was not Renshaw.
Renshaw’s Rabobank team did plenty of work at the head of the peloton as they made their way towards the finish line and as the field drew inside the final kilometres, the Dutch outfit did what they could to set up their sprinter.
He got on Cavendish’s wheel but with one kilometre left his team-mates were spent.
Then Renshaw had to deal with interference from rival team Spidertech.
In contrast Cavendish’s Sky team-mates showed the benefit of having done little work in the peloton and gave him an armchair ride. He launched his sprint with some 300 metres to go and was never challenged as he took out the 198 kilometre Belgium event in his first attempt.
While Renshaw was given the same time as Cavendish – four hours, 27 minutes and 30 seconds – he had to settle for 15th. It was his seventh top 10 result this year, but he was still frustrated.
“Some guys from Spidertech, they just don’t care and they take risks. That’s the way the peloton is right now, there’s not much respect and everyone wants Cavendish’s wheel,” Renshaw told Cyclingnews.
“I had it with one kilometre to go and then I got knocked off the wheel and from then it was finished. Up until then all our guys were tired in the final, so I just had to freestyle.
“Until then I was feeling really good. That’s why I’m pretty angry to miss an opportunity like that, especially because it’s a race that finishes in a sprint and it’s one that suits me. I’m really happy with how I felt, but I just lost the wheel in the final.”
The field was watchful through the first hour of the race, the pace sitting at around 50km/hr, but finally a group of seven went off the front.
They were kept in check, at the most holding a gap of four minutes, but the biggest climb of the day saw another split in the peloton. A group that included two quick men who loomed as rivals to Renshaw – Tom Boonen and Tyler Farrar – were able to get a 90 second advantage.
Rabobank responded as they moved to the front of the peloton, the Dutch outfit not only keeping the break in check but testing the rest of the field as they set a handy tempo.
Eventually the field came back together and with 5km to got Rabobank’s lead-out train was trying to outflank Sky’s and give Renshaw every chance of victory.
However, it was Sky who were better organised. They still had three men with Cavendish 4km out from the line and it was enough of an advantage for the Isle of Man rider to capitalise on.
Renshaw will get his next chance to pick up his maiden win for Rabobank in the Paris-Nice, an eight-stage event that starts on March 4.
