NINE years after Mark Renshaw first put his sprinting legs to the test in the Tour of Britain, he will tackle the eight-stage event for the final time in his professional road cycling career.
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But the goal for the Bathurst cycling star now will be the same as it was back then - trying to earn stage wins for his team.
Renshaw, who announced in July that season 2019 would be his last in the professional peloton, forms part of the six-rider Dimension Data outfit which will begin its pursuit of success in the Tour of Britain this Saturday.
As has been the case for so many races in his career, Renshaw will be working to set up lead sprinter Mark Cavendish in the flat stages.
WATCH: Mark Renshaw sets up Mark Cavendish for a stage win
In particular the duo will target the finale in Manchester on September 14.
"What makes the 2019 edition especially significant is the finish in Manchester. I remember as an amateur watching the finish there in 2004, the first edition of the race in its current format, and so I'm really looking forward to now racing in what is such an important city for British cycling 15 years on," Cavendish said.
"Having witnessed first hand the rise of cycling in Great Britain, racing in front of a home crowd holds a special importance to me on a very personal level."
Cavendish boasts 10 career stage wins at the Tour of Britain and while Renshaw's seven prior appearances in the event have in the main seen him working as a lead out rider for sprint finishes, he has twice crossed the line first.
WATCH: Mark Renshaw wins stage five of 2011 Tour of Britain
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He won stages in 2011 and 2014 and has also twice been stage runner-up and has three additional top 10 results.
Aside from Cavendish, Renshaw's team-mates for this edition of the tour include 2016 champion Steve Cummings and double-stage winner Julien Vermote.
The eight-stage Tour of Britain gets underway in Glasgow on Saturday with a tough 201.5 kilometre leg which finishes in Kirkcudbright.
