Anna Henderson turned an opportunity into triumph on stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia Women, breaking away in the final 40km and sprinting to victory in Aprica ahead of Dilyxine Miermont. The move not only gave her a long-awaited stage win, but also catapulted the 26-year-old into the overall race lead and the maglia rosa.
After years of riding in support and narrowly missing out in sprint finishes, Henderson took matters into her own hands. “I said to my boyfriend this morning that I had nothing to lose,” she said at the finish. “I’ve been waiting all year to kind of come fifth in the sprint. I wasn’t going to wait around and just took the opportunity when I saw it.”
She had started the day in sixth overall, 27 seconds behind Marlen Reusser, and already had one foot in GC contention. That made her attack all the more dangerous – but once the peloton allowed the break three minutes, Henderson knew it was game on. “I knew it would be a small chance I could get away with me being quite close to the GC. Then they gave us three minutes, and I couldn’t believe it. We just kept working really well to the finish.”
The 92km stage from Clusone to Aprica looked mild on paper but proved far tougher in practice. The final 30km climbed steadily, and with a tailwind through the valley, Lidl-Trek had identified it as a rare chance for a breakaway to survive. Henderson and Miermont worked well together after going clear on the mid-stage climb, gaining time with every passing kilometre.
Photo Credit: LaPresse“We knew it was a tailwind all the way in the valley, and once you made it over the steep climb, then it’s maybe 4 percent until the finish,” Henderson explained. “We really believed that a breakaway could make it, and I’m super happy I was the one able to get it across the line.”
In the closing kilometre, the alliance between Henderson and Miermont faded. With the finish in sight and the GC lead hanging in the balance, there was no question of sharing the honours. Henderson played it smart, refusing to take extra pulls, then came off Miermont’s wheel to seal the sprint.
Her reward was a clean sweep on the podium – the pink jersey for the GC lead, the red points jersey, and the blue mountains jersey. “I’m over the moon,” she said. “This is just an added bonus to what was already a great day. I’ve dreamed of wearing the leader’s jersey, and it’s come true. I’m so happy, I hope I’ll do it proud tomorrow.”
Stage 3 begins with the Passo del Tonale but features a mostly flat final 100km – a profile that should favour Henderson’s chances of keeping pink, at least for another day. “I just had a cramp in my leg on the stage, so we’ll see how tomorrow goes and take it day by day,” she said.
