Mark Renshaw Sticks With Mark Cavendish
Team HTC-Colombia officially announced on Monday that Mark Renshaw has extended his contract to the end of the 2012 season. The Australian sprinter was directly responsible for setting Mark Cavendish for the first three of his five stage wins in this year’s Tour de France.
"I'm happy to extend with the team," said Renshaw. "I know my role and I'm happy to commit to that and be part of a successful team."
HTC-Columbia has been one of the most successful ProTour cycling teams of the 2010 season. With Cavendish shattering the sprint stage-win record in the Tour de France and taking the second place in the points classification, the team has taken the trading-season tactic of building the team to be an unbeatable lead-out train for Cavendish, the fastest cyclist in the world. Last week, Bernhard Eisel and Bert Grabsch were confirmed to be a part of the lead-out train, and now Cavendish’s most valuable man, Renshaw, is secured.
"I'm really happy with my form," said Renshaw. "I think I can carry this form all the way to World Championships in Australia later this year."
Renshaw has just finished a superb performance at the Tour of Denmark, where three of the six stages were won by HTC-Columbia, the fourth stage by Renshaw, and the first and fifth won by his teammates, with Renshaw’s help.
"It's always really good when one of the guys who does a lot of work for another rider gets a chance to shine in his own right like today, and taking first and second for the team is something special, too," said Brian Holm, HTC-Columbia's director.
Renshaw was removed from the Tour de France for dangerous riding during Cavendish’s third sprint win, but this makes him no less valuable.
"Mark is a key rider in our sprint execution and was critical to our sprint success in the Tour de France this year and last," said Rolf Aldag, the team manager. "He also has a lot of potential as a top sprinter himself which he proved on Saturday when he won the stage in Denmark. We trust in his talent and we're happy to have him as part of the solid foundation for our team."
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