Anna Louise Henderson (born 14 November 1998) is a British professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's World Tour Team Visma–Lease a Bike.[2][3] She took a silver medal in the time trial at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Anna Henderson
Personal information
Full nameAnna Louise Henderson
NicknameHendo
Born (1998-11-14) 14 November 1998 (age 25)
Hemel Hempstead
Height5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
Weight56 kg (123 lb)
Team information
Current teamVisma–Lease a Bike
DisciplinesRoad Cycling
RoleRider
Rider typeTime Trial / All Rounder
Amateur teams
2016Lovelo Cinelli RT
2017–2019Team OnForm
2019Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank (stagiaire)
Professional teams
2020Team Sunweb[1]
2021–Team Jumbo–Visma
Major wins
One-day races and Classics
National Time Trial Championships (2021, 2024)
Medal record
Women's road bicycle racing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Time trial
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham Time trial
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Yorkshire Mixed team relay
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 2023 Drenthe Time trial

Life

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Henderson was born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire in 1998 and grew up in Edlesborough in Buckinghamshire. She attended Aylesbury High School.[4] Growing up, her ambition was to win an Olympic medal in the Winter Olympics. She was a competitive international ski racer, however in 2015, a major crash in the National Championships in Tignes forced Henderson to step back from Skiing and used cycling as a rehab method, she then changed her interest to cycling. She made the decision when she was fifteen. She had broken her leg and cycling was prescribed as helpful to her recovery. As a result, cycling became her focus.[5] In 2021, Henderson graduated from the University of Birmingham, completing a Sports Science degree.

She rode in the women's road race event at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships.[6] In 2018, Henderson won the British National Circuit Race Championships,[7] and the under-23 British National Time Trial Championships in 2019.[8]

In 2022, Henderson secured a silver medal in the Time Trial at the 2022 Commonwealth Games where Grace Brown of Australia took the gold medal. This was Henderson's first major medal representing her country.

In September 2023 she was in the Netherlands at the UEC European Road Championships. She was second in the Women's Time Trial[9] and she was eighth in the Road race. She had come home in the time trial in first position, but Switzerland's Marlen Reusser finished after her with a better time.[9]

Henderson qualified for the time trial at the 2024 Olympics and she was identified in the British press as a potential medalist. They cited her British titles and her success in gaining a silver at the previous year’s European championships, and fourth place in Glasgow at the world championships.[5] She took a silver medal in the time trial at the 2024 Summer Olympics behind Grace Brown of Australia[10][11] on very wet Parisian roads.[12]

Major Results

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Anna Henderson in 2024 starting the Amstel Gold Race
2018
1st   National Criterium Championships
Tour Series
1st Aberystwyth
1st Stevenage
2019
National Under-23 Road Championships
1st   Road race
1st   Time trial
Tour Series
1st Durham
1st Brooklands
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
3rd   Team relay, UCI Road World Championships
2021
1st   Time trial, National Road Championships
1st   Derny, National Track Championships
1st   Overall Kreiz Breizh Elites Dames
1st Stages 1 & 2
7th Dwars door het Hageland WE
8th Le Samyn
10th Overall Healthy Ageing Tour
10th GP de Plouay
2022
1st Prologue Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs
RideLondon Classique
1st   Mountains classification
1st   British rider classification
2nd   Time trial, Commonwealth Games
3rd Road race, National Road Championships
7th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
2023
La Vuelta Femenina
1st Stage 1 (TTT)
Held   after Stage 1
UEC European Road Championships
2nd   Time trial[9]
8th Road race
3rd Road race, National Road Championships
3rd Overall Simac Ladies Tour
3rd Overall Baloise Ladies Tour
4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
8th Nokere Koerse
9th Gent–Wevelgem
9th Tour of Flanders
10th Ronde van Drenthe
2024
National Road Championships
1st   Time trial
2nd Road race
2nd   Time trial, Olympic Games
2nd Overall Tour of Britain

References

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  1. ^ "Team Sunweb". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Jumbo-Visma Women Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Marianne Vos to spearhead Jumbo-Visma women's team in 2021". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  4. ^ Shefferd, Neil (23 September 2019). "Former Aylesbury High School pupil wins bronze medal at road cycling world championships in team event". The Bucks Herald. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Anna Henderson set to fulfil Olympics dream in Saturday's Paris time trial". The Independent. 26 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  6. ^ "2018: World Championships - Women's Road Race". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  7. ^ O'Brien, Tom (13 July 2018). "Henderson and Gibson take gold at the HSBC UK | National Circuit Championships". British Cycling. British Cycling Federation. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  8. ^ Arthurs-Brennan, Michelle (27 June 2019). "Alice Barnes wins British National women's time trial with Henderson top in under-23 race". Cycling Weekly.
  9. ^ a b c "European Road Cycling Championships: Josh Tarling wins time trial, with Anna Henderson claiming silver". BBC Sport. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  10. ^ Challis, Dan (27 July 2024). "Grace Brown takes gold in rain-soaked women's Olympic time trial ahead of Anna Henderson". cyclingweekly.com. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  11. ^ "GB's Henderson wins Olympic time trial silver". BBC Sport. 27 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  12. ^ Media, P. A. (27 July 2024). "Anna Henderson survives storm to take silver for Team GB in women's time trial". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
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