Reinardt Janse van Rensburg. Picture: GALLO IMAGES/KIRK KOTZE
Reinardt Janse van Rensburg. Picture: GALLO IMAGES/KIRK KOTZE

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REINARDT Janse van Rensburg has his sights set on being selected to ride in a second Tour de France later this year as a member of Dimension Data team’s sprint train to set up Mark Cavendish for stage wins.

But, after securing overall victory in the Tour de Langkawi yesterday, Janse van Rensburg, said he needed to continue with similarly impressive performances to earn one of the nine places in Dimension Data’s Tour team. "I am looking forward to doing it again. It’s going to be pretty tight," Janse van Rensburg said. "We have really some big names in the team, but I hope there is space for me. Results like this help.

"We have a really big sprinter with Cavendish there. So, it depends on who he wants in his lead-out. But, I think I am one of the guys that can really stand out in his lead-out."

Janse van Rensburg’s win at Langkawi was impressive. He even extended his overall lead on yesterday’s final 119km stage from Batu Pahat to Melaka, won in a bunch sprint by Andrea Guardini (Astana) from fellow Italian Jakub Mareczko (Southeast-Venezuela) and Shiki Kuroeda (Aisan Racing Team).

Janse van Rensburg, who placed 12th on the stage that saw the peloton split near the finish with a group of 15 riders crossing the line four seconds ahead, gained three seconds by winning the first of three intermediate sprints at 16.2km.

Then Janse van Rensburg’s nearest rivals overall, the Colombian pair of Daniel Jaramillo (UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling) and Miguel Angel Lopez (Astana) lost four more seconds to him by finishing in the second group. However, the pair still held on for second place overall at 18 seconds and third at 19 seconds, respectively.

Janse van Rensburg will soon get the chance to prove his value to Cavendish, with them both due to race together at Tirreno-Adriatico (March 9-15) and Milan San Remo (March 19).

Janse van Rensburg will then likely race in the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix before a break, and then rebuild towards a possible Tour de France start in July by racing in either the Critérium du Dauphiné or Tour de Suisse in June.

Janse van Rensburg labelled his Tour de Langkawi win as the best of his career. It was also his first overall win in a stage race since 2012, when he rode for his South African team, which at that point had a Continental licence and was named MTN-Energade. That year, he won the Tour de Bretagne, Tour du Maroc and Ronde van Overijssel overall, two stages of the Volta a Portugal, and the Ronde van Zeeland Seaports.

He then rode for the Dutch World Tour team, Argos-Shimano from 2013 to 2014 — winning the 2013 Binche-Chimay-Binche in Belgium — before returning to the MTN fold last year, and staying put for the transition to World Tour status under the Dimension Data banner this year.

"It was my first stage race victory since 2012, so it’s a long time coming," Janse van Rensburg said.

"I am really happy to get the breakthrough victory again. I hope this is a good sign for the future, and only the start of a very successful season going forwards. This is definitely my biggest victory in my career. I am really happy."

Janse van Rensburg is the fourth African rider to win the overall event after Algerian rider Youcef Reguigui last year, and South Africans Ryan Cox in 2005 and David George in 2006.

Cyclingnews.com