Life after the peloton: Mark Renshaw's evolution from lead-out king to DS

The dust has settled on another successful edition of the Santos Tour Down Under but before the WorldTour peloton returned to Europe, we caught up with some familiar faces who were in Adelaide for a trip down memory lane and to find out whether they’re still on their bike. First up is Daryl Impey.

Mark Renshaw spent his career fighting for prime position at the front of a peloton as it hurtled towards the finish line at speeds of 80km/h.

With no margin for error, and only a fraction of a second to react to anything around him, Renshaw was known as a cool head under pressure and the best lead-out man in the world. And his partnership with Mark Cavendish helped the Maxman win more stages of the Tour de France than anyone in history.

So when that adrenaline rush was part of your DNA for so long as an athlete, how does one get their fix in retirement? By doing the same thing, only from the comfort of the team car.

“It’s the main reason I’m in this role with the team – to pass on that experience, bring what I can and advise the guys as best as possible,” said Renshaw, who is in his first year as a sports director with Decathlon CMA CGM.

“It still gets the heart rate up. I’m still very calm in the team car, especially in the final, as you’re still focused, but the heart rate and adrenaline still comes up for sure.”

Speaking just moments before Vanguard Stage 1 began in Tanunda this year, Renshaw was finalising a game plan that would ultimately deliver their sprinter Tobias Andresen victory 120km later.

“We had a meeting late last night and again this morning with a quick debrief with the computer, just going through the deep final – the last 3-5km,” Renshaw said.

“First race of the year, we have some new riders and there’s been a lot of change, so we will go through it with a fine tooth comb.

“Sprinting hasn’t changed (since my racing days), not at all, the fundamentals are all the same and so much of it is about positioning, momentum and timing.”

Now 43, Renshaw holds a special place in TDU history with the record for most participations (16), which is one more than Simon Clarke who retired after his 15th start in the race this year.

“Winning the first stage it went WorldTour (2008) with Credit Agricole, taking the leader’s jersey after stage one was really big,” he said.

“I have some great memories racing here, it’s the premier event for Australian cycling. Everybody is here to watch it so it’s always great to race on home soil.

“I think it has more relevance on the world stage than ever, the weight that the points carry is really important.”

Renshaw retired from professional cycling in 2019, moved back to Bathurst in Australia and opened a bike shop which is still going.

He went to the Tour de France in 2023 as an advisor, spent 2024-25 as a sports director with XDS Astana, and is now with Decathlon.

“The whole season is planned out and the Tour de France is the big objective with Olav (Kooij) so we will work towards that,” he said.

“I still try to ride as much as I can … I try to run as well actually but I wouldn’t call myself a runner.

“Just trying to do some sort of exercise when you’re on the road.”