HTC-Highroad will return to the Santos Tour Down Under with a strong line-up including sprint superstar Mark Cavendish and top lead-out man Mark Renshaw.

“Renshaw has a long history with the Santos Tour Down Under, winning the Cancer Council Classic in 2007 and Stage 1 in 2008,” says Santos Tour Down Under Race Director Mike Turtur.

“Renshaw is the best lead out rider in international cycling, and it will be great to see if he can set Cavendish up for some stage wins here in Adelaide.

“It will be the first time Cavendish will go head-to-head with his sprint rival and former teammate Andre Greipel so the pressure will be on Renshaw to set Cav up in the sprint finishes.

“Another Aussie rider to look out for is Matthew Goss, who has come off the back of a great 2010 season with stage wins at the Giro d’Italia and Tour of Denmark.”

Goss signed with the US-based HTC-Highroad in 2010 and was the lead out man for Cavendish at the Vuelta a Espana, where Cavendish clinched two stage wins.

“Cavendish is regarded as the one of the best, if not the best, sprinter in world cycling. His presence at the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under will be a big boost to the race’s star-studded line-up.”

Cavendish, nicknamed the “Manx Missile”, became known as one of the fastest sprinters in the world when he won four stages at the 2008 Tour de France, a then unprecedented achievement for a British cyclist. He has now won 15 stages of the Tour de France.

Team Manager, Allan Peiper (AUS) will lead the HTC-Highroad team at the 2011 Santos Tour Down Under with the following line-up:
Mark Cavendish (GBR)
Mark Renshaw (AUS)
Matthew Goss (AUS)
Hayden Roulston (NZL)
Bernhard Eisel (Austria)
Bert Grabsch (GER)
Danny Pate (USA)