As sure as death and taxes, the moment you write a bloke off he’ll bounce back and prove you wrong.
Last week I declared Mark Renshaw finished as a stand alone sprinter and heralded his decision to move to Omega Pharma-Quickstep and leave the pressure of winning to his great mate, Mark Cavendish.
But after a meagre two wins in two years as the Rabobank/Belkin spearhead, what does the under performing Renshaw go and do? He rides smart and, thanks to a sneaky little attack with a kilometre to go on the opening stage of the Eneco Tour, catches the other sprinters napping and records a comprehensive victory.
What can I do but tip my hat. Chapaeu Mr Renshaw and please accept my humble apologies.
Renshaw’s win was the latest in a string of five wins by Australian riders since the conclusion of the Tour de France.
Taken in isolation it is a satisfying haul, but if we delve deeper, it is so much more. You see, the names of the winners are changing.
Famous names such as Cadel Evans, Michael Rogers and (until recently) Stuart O’Grady are being pushed into the background as the new generation of Australian cyclists begin to make their mark.
From a national point of view it is a healthy situation to be in.
Caleb Ewan (first – stage two, Tour Alsace), Michael Matthews (first – stage two and four, Tour of Utah) and Lachlan Morton (first – stage three, Tour of Utah), along with Renshaw, are the men who are responsible for this latest flurry of Aussie wins.
Matthews also won the points jersey in Utah (for the second year in a row), while Morton picked up the young rider classification. Both riders also wore the leaders jersey at various stages.
They may not be household names yet, but their time is coming.
Matthews, now with Orica-GreenEDGE, has been on the periphery for a while.
The former under 23 world road race champion is a promising sprinter. He can also churn out a solid time trial and get over moderate hills which gives him an added versatility often found lacking in other fast men.
He has performed well on home soil at the Tour Down Under and at the national championships and is now really beginning to hit his straps away from home.
The Roar’s Tim Renowden is calling for Matthews, still just 22, to be included in Orica-GreenEDGE’s Vuelta a Espana team, which will take to the rugged Spanish countryside in a little over a week’s time.
His form is certainly good enough and the experience would be invaluable.
There is little doubt his profile is on the rise.
Morton, a climber from Port Macquarie, was promoted to Garmin-Sharp’s elite roster this year after finishing last season as a stagiare.
The 21 year old set stage three of the Tour of Utah alight with a daring attack over the summit of Mt Nebo, followed by a 40 kilometre solo ride to victory.
Having had no association with the AIS, the gutsy New South Welshmen hasn’t followed the same route into pro-cycling as some of his more high profile compatriots, and yet his talent has been on display since the beginning.
As a 15 year old he won a hill climbing contest in Colorado. The organisers thought there was a timing issue as he was faster than some of the pros, but Morton backed up again a week later with similar results.
He may not be wearing Orica-GreenEDGE colours but all Australian cycling fans should get behind this talented young rider because the Tour of Utah will only be the beginning. Bigger and better things await.
But perhaps the best youngster of them all will be the baby-faced Caleb Ewan.
Looking closer to 12 rather than his 19 years, the boy from Sydney first came to prominence when he out-sprinted Matthew Goss at the 2012 Jayco Bay Classic series of criteriums – not once, but twice.
To prove it wasn’t a flash in the pan, he won another stage this year and walked away with the overall classification, outpointing some of Australasia’s most seasoned cyclists in the process.
His current stint in Europe has yielded him four victories (including two stages of the U23 Thuringen-Rundfahrt). He has already been likened to a young Robbie McEwen, while Phil Liggett has gone as far as to say that he sprints like Cavendish.
He is definitely a rising star and rumour has it that he can climb a bit as well!
So despite ageing stars such as Cadel Evans and Michael Rogers reaching the twilight of their careers, their eventual loss to the sport will not cause Australian cycling to stall.
Following in their wake is an exciting bunch of youngsters who promise to keep Australia at the forefront of world cycling.
Add to the list Rowan Dennis, Luke Durbridge, Leigh Howard, Nathan Haas, Steele Von Hoff and Cameron Meyer (just to name a few), as well as proven performers such as Richie Porte and Simon Gerrans and Australians should be prominent in sprints, climbs, time trials and breakaways for a long time to come.
And with Renshaw back with Cavendish, we’ll also have the lead-outs covered!
Chapeau Mr Renshaw, chapeau.
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