CYCLING
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IN the history of the Tour de France only two men have won more stages than Mark Cavendish, but his remarkable record is not only due to his explosive speed and drive to succeed.
His alliance with Bathurst’s Mark Renshaw has played a major role in seeing him notch up 25 stage victories, an effort which ranks him third behind Bernard Hinault (28) and Eddy Merckx (34) on the list of all-time winners.
It is also that alliance which could very well see him move up to second on that list by the time this year’s Tour de France is finished. The 2015 edition, which gets underway tomorrow, features nine flat stages which the Etixx-QuickStep duo will target.
Cavendish and Renshaw grew up on different sides of the globe – one in the Isle of Man the other in the Central West city of Bathurst – but both shared a passion for cycling.
When Renshaw made his Tour de France debut in 2008 as part of the Credit Agricole team and provided the perfect lead out for Thor Hushovd to win stage two, rival sprinter Cavendish took note.
He liked what he saw and wanted the Bathurst talent working for him. As has been the case so often in his career, Cavendish got his way and it began what has become a much respected combination when it comes to sprint finishes.
As HTC team-mates in 2011, Renshaw’s efforts helped Cavendish to win the Tour de France’s green jersey by an impressive 62 points.
This year, with six sprint stages offering greater reward for the man who is first across the line, Renshaw will once more be working to get Cavendish in green and build on a very formidable – if somewhat odd – partnership.
“Me and Mark always room together. We are like the anti-each other. I’m quite angsty, always moving, always on edge. Mark is always calm, relaxed, almost boring,” Cavendish told BBC Sport of his QuickStep team-mate.
“His personality transfers itself onto the bike. We could say the same thing, but it comes across so different. He’ll just say it, but I’ll scream it.
“There are very few people – two, three in my career – whose judgement I would take over my own in terms of positioning and movement in the peloton. Mark is definitely one of them. He’s on the highest rank.
“He’s the most gifted person I’ve ever seen at moving round the peloton, at knowing where to go. I don’t even have to think if I trust him.”
That Renshaw has earned such respect from one of the world’s best and most opinionated sprinters speaks volumes for his talent.
In his own right Renshaw has three Tour de France stage podiums and 10 top 10 stage finishes, but his success is bettered measured by what he has been able to do for Cavendish.
Renshaw’s job is to guide Cavendish to the head of the peloton as the finish line looms, to expend every bit of remaining energy he has after hours in the saddle, in order to launch his team-mate.
It is a job that those not overly familiar with the sport – sacrificing personal glory for the good of another – may struggle to full appreciate. However, Cavendish knows how lucky he is to have Renshaw on his side.
“He’s always thinking for two people, which is a gift. You can’t imagine saying to many sports people that their role is entirely for someone else,” he said.
“It’s a special, special thing, but we have a very good relationship. If he does it right, I’m going to finish it off.
“It’s incredible the muscle damage you do in a sprint. You don’t see it after the line, because we’re smiling. But if you see the tent that we’re in straight afterwards, you just collapse.
“You go deeper than most people could even imagine their body going. So if you can leave it late, you do – but you run the risk of someone coming round you, of boxing you in, and then you don’t win anyway.”
The 2015 Tour de France runs from July 4 to 26 and will take Renshaw, Cavendish and the rest of the field from Utrecht in the Netherlands to Paris, France.
