WHEN Bathurst cyclist Mark Renshaw lines up in Dusseldorf on Saturday for the start of the 104th Tour de France, he will bring with him the valuable experience of eight prior appearances in the cycling epic.
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It’s experience that he will need.
Unlike previous years when Renshaw has enjoyed a solid build up to the gruelling 21-stage challenge, in 2017 his preparation has been impacted by ankle surgery.
On top of that, the man he will be riding for in flat stages at this year’s Tour de France – Dimension Data team-mate Mark Cavendish – has also had a less than ideal lead in to the Grand Tour. He suffered from the Epstein–Barr virus.
And to further add to the difficultly of trying to out ride and out manoeuvre their rivals in bunch sprints is the quality quick men Renshaw and Cavendish will have to battle.
Peter Sagan will be chasing his sixth consecutive green jersey, Andre Greipel who won in Paris last year is back, German Marcel Kittel has been in good touch while Frenchman Nacer Bouhanni is determined to land his first stage win.
But as Renshaw and Cavendish have proved before, they are a duo that can not be underestimated.
Last year Renshaw helped Cavendish into the yellow jersey with victory on stage one – that effort one of four victorious days in the saddle for the Isle of Man sprinter.
Only one man in the history of the tour – Eddie Merckx (34) - has won more stages than Cavendish, and Dimension Data has stated its goal this year is “once again target specific stages with individual riders during the 2017 edition of the race”.
Renshaw’s form and fitness has been building as shown by a stage placing at the Tour of Slovenia and he acknowledged he and his team-mate have “nothing to lose”.
“No way we’re favourites. It’ll be about trying to win a stage, then a second and then try to get to the end of the tour – that will be a victory with the build up that we’ve both had,” he said earlier this month.
“Looking forward to starting my ninth Le Tour.”
Cavendish is also determined to push hard.
“I feel that I owe it to myself, the team, our sponsors and most importantly to the tour itself given its history and everything that it stands for – as well as the emotional attachment I have for it – to give it my best and to put everything I have in to trying to help the team,” he said.