Mark Renshaw follows champion sprinter to new team in three-year deal
Mark Renshaw has ended his European season and returned to Australia ahead of a new year in which he will follow prolific sprinter Mark Cavendish to an “up-and-coming” team.
Renshaw on Tuesday night confirmed a three-year contract that will see him and Cavendish transfer from leading Belgium outfit Etixx-QuickStep to the South Africa-based MTN-Qhubeka squad in 2016.
The deal penned last week comes after involved negotiations, which, it is understood, required former world champion Cavendish to bring an additional sponsor to the second string team.
“It’s hard for a big rider just to waltz into a team with a couple of lieutenants so the field was pretty limited on what we could and couldn’t do,” Renshaw said of the package deal that also included Austrian Bernhard Eisel (Sky).
“Qhubeka were really keen, the [not for profit] foundation and the team, to bring a bigger rider in so it kind of all fell in place.
“This will probably be the biggest change that we’ve ever had - going from one of the biggest teams to an up-and-coming team,” he continued. “To be honest, I don’t know too much about the structure because we’re still not at the end of the season. It will unfold over the next few weeks how the management works, planning for the off-season and for next year so it’s pretty exciting in that term.”
Renshaw has this season remained firm in his resolve to follow Cavendish and not field alternate offers within a hesitant transfer market that has produced more 12-month contracts in reaction to WorldTour reforms.
The 32-year-old cemented his name as the world’s best lead-out specialist racing for the 26-time Tour de France stage winner at various incarnations of Highroad from 2009-2011 before leaving the Manxman to pursue a marquee position for two seasons. The pair reunited at Etixx-QuickStep in 2013 where they once again found a working rhythm.
“We work pretty well together, it’s a job I enjoy, it’s a job I’m good at and he appreciates that so why change a good thing? I could have gone out and tried to find something else, you know, maybe get a little bit more money, or maybe get a little bit more freedom, this and that, but in general it was better to stay with him and just focus on that,” Renshaw said.
Etixx-QuickStep chief Patrick Lefevere has been critical of Cavendish this season, bluntly addressing an expectation that he be the dominant sprinter at big races like the Tour de France in which the 30-year-old won a stage compared to Lotto Soudal rival Andre Greipel's four in July.
Nonetheless he and Renshaw leave the long-established squad in good grace.
“It’s one of the bigger teams in the peloton so riding for them was pretty special, you do have the awe of the big team, but with that came pressure also,” Renshaw reflected.
“It was an honour to ride for them and we won a lot of good races with the team and the riders. It was enjoyable. Sometimes the pressure was high but we had a lot of good times that we can look back on.”
MTN-Qhubeka has announced Dimension Data as its sole title sponsor for 2016 and confirmed a deal with legal firm Deloitte. The full team roster is yet to be announced although Renshaw is already familiar with some of the existing names.
“I think most of the guys on the team are looking forward to Cav coming on board, and that will raise expectations of the team. Nothing brings teams together like a good leader and someone who can achieve top results consistently,” he said.
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