Bio

Mark Renshaw, who was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, began his career as a track cyclist riding for the Bathurst Cycle Club. Being coached at club level by Mark Windsor, he showed early promise, and went on to be selected for the Western Region Academy of Sport (where Windsor remained his coach). At the Under 17s level, in the 1998 Australian Track Championships, he won gold in the Teams Pursuit (Australian Record), Scratch Race, Time Trial, and Individual Pursuit (Australian Record), and silver in the Flying 200m Time Trial.

As a first-year under 19 rider, Renshaw continued to achieve strong results on the velodrome. His results included 3rd in the time trial (behind eventual World Champion Ben Kersten and World Championship Bronze Medalist Jobie Dajka), 4th in the Individual Pursuit, 5th in the Flying 200m Time Trial, 3rd in the Sprint (again behind Dajka and Kersten who were both again top 3 in the World Championships), 1st in the Teams Pursuit (with NSW); and 1st in the Olympic Sprint (again with NSW). Renshaw was then selected to compete for Australia in the Junior World Track Championships, where he became a World Champion, alongside Jobie Dajka and Ben Kersten, in the Olympic Sprint.

As a second-year Under 19 rider, Renshaw had a very successful national track championship, mirroring that of his earlier success as a second year Under 17 rider. He was 1st in the Olympic Sprint, 1st in the Time Trial, 2nd in the Individual Pursuit, 1st in the Team Pursuit, 4th in the Keirin and 1st in the Scratch Race. Again Renshaw was chosen to compete in the Junior World Championships. In these Championships, Renshaw added individual World Championship success to his Team's success from the previous season, returning to Australia a champion in the 1000m Time Trial, as well as defending his team's crown in the Olympic Sprint, and thus becoming a Triple World Junior Champion.

As a senior Renshaw began to concentrate more on an endurance programme, in the hope of becoming a professional road cyclist. However in 2001, as a first year senior, he won the Overall Track World Cup in his pet event as a junior, the 1 km Time Trial. It was a transition season however, and by seasons end his focus had switched to longer events.

Transition to road

2002 was a breakthrough year for Renshaw as an endurance track cyclist. Throughout the year he placed consistently in the Points Race, Madison and Teams Pursuit. And went on to be part of the Australian Team Pursuit team that broke the World Record at the Manchester Commonwealth Games (along with Graeme Brown, Brad McGee and Luke Roberts). He was also later part of the Australian senior World Championship-winning Team Pursuit team.

In 2002 Renshaw's road career also began to take off when he was selected in the Brad McGee-organized NSWIS-FDJeux Development squad. Because of Renshaw's involvement in this squad he was soon riding in France with amateur squad SCO Dijon, which opened the door for him to join the senior FDJeux.com squad in 2004.

Renshaw returned to the track in 2004, and in the World Championships competed in the Madison, Points Race and Teams Pursuit. Renshaw crashed out in the Points race, and finished 4th in the Madison. The Australian Team Pursuit team went on to win Gold but Mark missed his second senior World Title, because he only competed in one round (the Qualifying Round) after his fall in the Points Race. After having raced all of the World Cup rounds in the Madison event, and in the process qualifying Australia for the Olympic spot, Renshaw was selected to ride the Points Race and the Madison at the Games. However, there was controversy when in the lead up to the event, Australian selectors chose experienced road rider, Stuart O'Grady to partner Graeme Brown over Renshaw in the madison event. Renshaw still competed in the Points Race, where he placed 6th.

Renshaw stayed with FDJeux.com for two seasons, before he moved to Credit Agricole, with the main aim of using his track bike handling experience to ride as lead-out for Thor Hushovd. Renshaw showed strong early season form, taking out the Geelong Bay Series Criterium for the second consecutive year. This led to him racing as Credit Agricole's main sprinter in the early events (with Hushovds season yet to commence), where he picked up his first Pro-Tour victory in the first stage of his 'local' Pro-Tour event, the Tour Down Under. Renshaw went on to lead the General Classification of the Tour Down Under, until the penultimate Willunga Hill stage, where his lack of climbing ability meant he lost considerable time and the race lead to future team mate Andre Greipel.

It was during his time with Credit Agricole that Renshaw made his Tour de France debut in 2008, after missing the 2007 race through illness. In the 2008 race, Renshaw received great praise for his role in Thor Hushovd's win on Stage 2 of the race.

After the Credit Agricole team folded at the end of 2008, Renshaw was hired for team Columbia-High Road. His primary responsibility in major races was as lead-out rider for sprinter Mark Cavendish. After his first season with Columbia in 2009, Renshaw received praise from commentators and fellow riders alike for his part in Cavendish's hugely successful Tour and season in general, and was now commonly referred to as "the World's best lead-out man". Renshaw's individual highlight of the 2009 season was possibly his second placed finish on the final stage of the Tour de France, after a lead-out that also gave Cavendish the victory.

Road career

After a successful first season as leadout man for Mark Cavendish, with HTC-Columbia in 2009, Renshaw was primed for a big season in 2010. His planned season schedule was to ride the Tour Down Under, the Tour de France and then the World Championships - being held for the first time 'at home' for Mark, in Australia. These plans soon changed when he was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus in the pre-season which put his whole season behind. Renshaw missed his home tour, the Tour Down Under, and didn't return to Europe and serious training until February. This, coincidentally, roughly matched a delayed start to Cavendish's season (due to a tooth infection), and also meant that Renshaw should be peaking later for his goal of the World Championships late in the year. Renshaw's season goals remained the World Championships, the Tour de France - as leadout man for Cavendish, as well as the Tour of California, where he would again be riding for Cavendish.

The Renshaw-Cavendish partnership reaped immediate rewards, when reunited for the Tour of California, with Cavendish winning the first stage of the race after a Renshaw leadout. During Renshaw Stage 1 of the 2010 Tour de France, Renshaw got an unexpected chance to sprint for himself, when Cavendish crshed in the final kilometre. Renshaw showed his own quality as a sprinter, finishing 2nd to Italian Alessandro Petacchi. Then, after stage 4, questions were asked of Cavendish's form, when he failed to finish in the top 10 after a good leadout from Renshaw. Renshaw assured fans that Cavendish was still the team's best man for the sprint, claiming his younger team mate had a "10km/h" top speed advantage over himself. On stage 5, the world got a chance to see that speed, when after another perfect leadout, Cavendish took an emotional first win of the 2010 Tour, which would be repeated the next day.