IT might be odd to hear it, but Mark Renshaw claims having his legs explode under the strain of sprint finish is exactly what he needed.
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The reason the Bathurst professional cyclist was satisfied rather than disappointed with how he held up in the final stages of the Driedaagse Brugge-De Panne is because the race marked his return to the peloton.
Simply making to the start line as a member of Team Dimension Data's line-up for the Belgian race was an achievement for Renshaw.
Before pinning the number onto his back, the Bathurst professional had to overcome what he described as the biggest set back of his career - being left with a broken pelvis after he was struck by a car while training in the pre-season.
The December 1 incident saw him requiring surgery, but after initially being told he would be off the bike for three months, Renshaw was back training in early January.
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Since then he has worked hard on his recovery and while he still has to get back to race fitness, he was delighted to represent Dimension Data for the first time in 2019.
"Following a really difficult start to the season after getting hit by a car in Australia while out training, it's really made me work hard to come back to the level that I am," Renshaw said prior to the Driedaagse.
"I'm really looking forward to starting racing again because I've put in a lot of work to come back ahead of schedule, from what the doctors told me.
"So I think that I will come back really strong and I'm really just looking forward to pinning a number on and getting back into the season."
The 200 kilometre one-day classic, which held WorldTour status for the first time this year, was taken out by Dylan Groenewegen after four hours, 25 minutes and 45 seconds.
Renshaw's team-mate Giacomo Nizzolo nabbed ninth place in the sprint, which only involved around 30 riders after a crash split the peloton in the final 10km.
The Bathurst rider was just happy to have competed and finished.
"Legs exploded in the final but that's what I need," Renshaw posted on social media.
"[It] Was perfect for blowing the cobwebs out of the pins after a long comeback."
