THE Tour de France - it's an epic 21-stage battle which pushes the world's best cyclists to their physical limits, a challenge which Mark Renshaw faced 10 times during his career.
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Renshaw knows firsthand what it is like to unleash a blistering burst of speed after a long day in the saddle, he knows what it is like to suffer up brutal climbs and knows the pain of continuing on after crashing.
He also knows what it is like to celebrate with his team after a stage win, the Bathurst talent having been involved with plenty of them during his career. They were efforts which saw him named in Cycling Weekly's ultimate Tour de France fantasy team of the decade.
Renshaw retired from professional cycling at the end of last year and is now running his own business in Bathurst with his wife Kristina - Renshaw's Pedal Project.
He admits it "feels a little bit weird" to no longer be part of the professional cycling scene - especially now the 2020 Tour de France has arrived - but he is still excited about the 21 stages which lie ahead and knows he's not the only one in Bathurst who feels that way.
"There's really a lot of people who like cycling in Bathurst, even people who come into the shop you really didn't think were too much into cycling are - it's great to see," he said.
Though he's no longer part of the peloton, Renshaw will still be involved in the tour this year. He'll use his knowledge of the sport and event to offers fans insights.
"I've got five nights commentary with SBS then I've got some other work with NTT - which on Twitter it is that Le Tour data where they release all sorts of data about the riders. So I'm just doing all the videos and breakdown stuff on that," he said.
"It will be more of a pundit role with SBS than commentary because I'll be alongside Robbie McEwen and Matt Kennan. I've got to down to Sydney to the studio and it will be done from there."
Before Saturday night's (AEST) opening stage, Renshaw also offered the Western Advocate his thoughts on what will come in this year's Tour de France.
THE TOUR DE FRANCE COURSE
THE riders taking part in the 107th edition of the Tour de France will certainly have their legs tested across the 21 stages.
After setting out from Nice with a 156 kilometre flat stage, the field must conquer a course which takes them through all five of France's mountain ranges before the September 20 finish in Paris.
The course includes days in the Alps, Massif Central, Pyrenees, Jura and the Vosges, with 29 categorised climbs and five mountain finishes.
"It's as tough as ever and this year they've made it even a little bit more climbing in the mountains," Renshaw said.
"The course hasn't changed at all to what they originally planned, it's just the dates have changed. So it will be a very tough race."
While the course is one tipped to see some aggressive riding and plenty of attacks, Renshaw is excited to see what the opening stages of Le Tour brings.
"I think I'm focused on the first couple of days, I know the routes really well because they're where I lived most of my career, I know them like I know the back of my hand," he said.
"It will be interesting to see who takes the yellow jersey at the start, then on the second stage there are some big hills, so it will be interesting to see how defensive some teams play it."
THE TOP TEAMS AND YELLOW JERSEY
FOUR-time Tour de France victor Chris Froome won't be there, neither will 2018 maillot jaune winner and last year's runner-up Geraint Thomas, but Renshaw still expects Ineos Grenadiers to be a force in 2020.
Team Ineos, formerly known as Team Sky, will focus their energy helping defending champion Egan Bernal to once again top the general classification.
Bernal has had a back injury hamper his build up, but prior to Saturday's Grand Depart said he was feeling good.
His Ineos allies include the 2019 Giro d'Italia winner Richard Carapaz.
The other rider Renshaw is tipping to be a leading yellow jersey contender is Primoz Roglic from Jumbo-Visma.
Roglic impressed in the Critérium du Dauphiné and while withdrawing from that event after a stage four crash, it was a precaution to ensure he was ready for the Tour de France.
His team-mates include 2018 Tour de France runner-up Tom Dumoulin.
"It's going to be different without those two big names [Froome, Thomas], they're obviously two guys that have won the tour in the past," Renshaw said.
"But as far as the rest of the teams go, there are some super, super riders in the field, I think all the top riders apart from those two are going to be there, so there'll be no shortage of good racing.
"I think it will be between two teams Jumbo, they've got a super strong team, then Ineos Grenadiers, who all also be a super strong team - I think it will be between those two.
"Between Roglic and Bernal, I think the winner will come out of those two, they have both got the strongest teams and have both been performing really well."
Still, Renshaw knows there are plenty of other riders who are capable of featuring in the battle for yellow.
Frenchmen Thibaut Pinot, Julian Alaphilippe and Romain Bardet will no doubt be eager to win a stage in their home tour, while Daniel Martinez brings with him the confidence of winning the Dauphiné.
Aussie Richie Porte, who will ride for Trek-Segafredo, will also give all he has to featuring in Le Tour.
"Look a lot of the big name riders state they won't do much, but they'll be fighting with everything they have to hold on. Nobody wants to declare they want to win it because it is such an open race and it is so hard to win," Renshaw said.
"Richie Porte is always going to be around there, it just depends how everyone else is going, but he'll be around the pointy end hopefully of the tour."
THE SPRINTERS AND GREEN JERSEY
PETER Sagan is the favourite for green, but watch for Caleb Ewan in the sprints as well.
Executing in sprint finishes is something which Renshaw's reputation was built around - it's why he was dubbed 'the best lead out man in the world'.
When it came to the Tour de France he enjoyed a whole host of highlights across his 10 appearances, including helping Mark Cavendish win the green jersey as the leading sprinter in 2011.
Renshaw made a direct contribution to 19 of the Manx man's 30 Tour de France stage wins, so he knows what it takes to feature in the sprinters' classification battle.
It is now about more than just pure speed, it's also the ability to pick up points at the intermediate sprints which often means getting in breaks over hilly terrains. It is also about consistency.
That is why, like many cycling pundits, the Bathurst talent said it is hard to look past Sagan when it comes to this year's green jersey.
Sagan is a rider who can match it with the pure sprinters on flat stages but get himself in those breaks and stick with the peloton in medium mountain stages. It is why the 30-year-old Slovakian has already won the Tour de France's sprint classification seven times.
Still, when it comes to pure speed and stage wins, Renshaw feels Australian talent Ewan is a man to watch.
Last year Ewan won three stages in his Tour de France debut and Renshaw says the Lotto Soudal rider will benefit from that experience.
"It really depends how the race pans out, so much can happen. It is tailored to Sagan that sprint competition, but I think Caleb Ewan and Sam Bennett will both be around the mark - it just depends what happens in that second and third week," Renshaw said.
"It will be a massive step up this year for Caleb compared to last year.
"Even though he was the most successful sprinter last year, he'll go in with a lot more confidence now.
"With that confidence I think, with his ability and his age - he's young and he's motivated, so he'll perform better than last year I believe."
The first sprint battle is likely to come on day one as the riders begin in Nice and make their way over 156km before returning to Nice.
For the victor it will bring with it the honour of being the first man in yellow.
Stage three (Nice), stage five (Privas), stage seven (Lavaur), stage 10 (Ile de Re Saint-Martin-de-Re), stage 11 (Poiters), stage 14 (Lyon), stage 19 (Champagnole) and the stage 21 finale in Paris are all expected to be decided by bunch sprints.
