While Mark Cavendish’s main leadout man Mark Renshaw looks certain to miss the Tour Down Under due to illness, his Columbia HTC team has said that it is confident that the Australian will make a quick return to the sport.
Team doctor Helge Riepenhof has said that he is "showing good initial progress" in his recovery after being diagnosed with Epstein-Barr in early December.
He played an important part in many of the team’s 85 victories in 2009, and so his quick return is important for Columbia HTC.
Renshaw missed the team’s training camp this month and has been undergoing blood tests to track his recovery. Team-mate Michael Rogers missed much of the 2007 season due to the virus, but Columbia manager Rolf Aldag is confident that Renshaw should recover quickly.
"We don't see his 2010 season goals in any danger,” he stated. “He would have loved to race in Tour Down Under but we are confident that he will once again show great performances in the Grand Tours as a lead out for Mark Cavendish, and that he will be just as strong as he was this year.”
Renshaw is currently resting in order to help his body’s recovery. In the meantime, he’s been helping organise an event to raise money for Prostate cancer.
Aldag is taking an optimistic approach to the rider’s illness, seeing a possible bright side to things. "He may even be fresher for the second half of the season, when the World Championships take place in his home country,” he stated.