Anna Henderson admits she was 'not in control' during nerve-shredding descent at Tour de France Femmes

Published 29/07/2022 at 18:03 GMT

Anna Henderson produced a staggering combination of technique and bottle to light up Stage 6 of the Tour de France Femmes going downhill. Her exploits had Eurosport commentator Dani Christmas hastily declaring “don’t try this at home” while Dani Rowe praised Henderson for her “phenomenal” descending. But it wasn’t entirely deliberate…

‘I’m not actually in control’, admits Henderson after terrifying descent

Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) confessed she was not always in control during her incredible nerve-shredding descent on Stage 6 at the Tour de France Femmes.

Henderson lit up the day’s breakaway with a brilliant downhill attack 24km from the finish that not even famed descender Christine Majerus (SD Worx) could live with.

“These two riders are among the best descenders in the world so we can safely say don’t try this at home, kids! These are the experts in the bunch,” said Dani Christmas on Eurosport commentary.

Tour de France Femmes

'I didn't know I hadn't won' - Vollering on Stage 4 confusion after Kastelijn victory

27/07/2023 at 13:47

As the race approached the final categorised climb, Henderson had whittled down the front group to just three with only Marie Le Net (FDJ-Suez-Futuroscope) and Joss Lowden (Uno X Pro Cycling) hanging on.

Ultimately, the peloton – led by Trek–Segafredo – swallowed up the break inside the final 10km as it went to a bunch sprint. Not that it was such bad news for Henderson, who saw team-mate Marianne Vos make history by winning a stage at the Tour de France Femmes in the yellow jersey.

‘Don’t try this at home!’ – Henderson shows off descending skills

When quizzed about her expert descending skills, Henderson admitted that it was not entirely intentional.

“We had done the recon of this course and from what I remembered it was quite an open descent…and then I went round a corner and I thought ‘I’m not actually in control here’,” she revealed to Eurosport.

“So I don’t know whether it was skill or luck that I didn’t crash.”

Speaking before Henderson’s confession, Dani Rowe said: “What a descender, she’s phenomenal. I would not want to be trying to follow her down a descent, that’s for sure.

“Former downhill skier, she knows which lines to take, and putting Christine Majerus under pressure, another one of the world’s best descenders, was so good to see.”