The rain-soaked course and its perilous cobbled turns were wreaking havoc on competitors, devastating their Olympic aspirations, as Anna Henderson descended the ramp for her time trial.
After enduring significant pain over the last six months, including two broken collarbones—with the latest occurring in April—she couldn’t help but flinch at the sight of the Parisian cobbles, which claimed three cyclists amid the relentless downpour.
Her coach, connected via radio, tried to help her stay calm, but it wasn’t until she was ontrack that Henderson truly comprehended the risk involved. By late afternoon, these harsh conditions also led to the shattering of Josh Tarling’s strong gold medal dreams during the men’s race.
‘I thought, ‘This corner could cost me the entire Olympic Games,’ Henderson remarked. The precarious balance of risk and reward was heightened by her recollection of narrowly missing out on a podium finish by just two seconds at last year’s world championships in Glasgow. Every moment counted—yet she admitted, ‘I was cycling like a grandma.’
As the 25-year-old aimed for a time that would secure her a medal, fellow competitor Taylor Knibb suffered three crashes. Knibb’s mechanic accidentally collided with her while trying to provide a new bike, and she ultimately crashed into one of the course motorcycles.
Anna Henderson (pictured) won silver for Great Britain in the women’s time trial at the Paris Olympics
In damp conditions, Henderson clocked a time of 41 minutes 10.7 seconds over the 32.4km course
Henderson (left) finished second behind Australia’s Grace Brown (centre), who won by a 31-second margin
Her initial assessments proved accurate as she hit the first time-check as the fastest rider, yet the conditions were clearly affecting the competitors around her. Christina Schweinberger, who had narrowly bested her for both world bronze and European gold, was lagging significantly. Lotte Kopecky, the recent Tour of Britain winner from Belgium, also fell. Following Henderson down Esplanade des Invalides was Chloe Dygert, the decorated American and multiple world champion, who also crashed.
‘You really have to take charge and make up time on the straights,’ Henderson noted at the conclusion. ‘But reflecting on it now, it seems I didn’t overthink it either. I was simply focused on control, power, and maintaining an aerodynamic position. It’s intriguing how I entered a sort of blackout state, just being in the zone.’
Henderson managed to outpace Dygert, clinching the silver by a narrow margin of just 0.87 seconds. This medal was more hard-earned than most, resulting from a long and often painful quest for Olympic success, one that she had once dreamt would manifest on the ski slopes.
Until the age of 15, she was devoted to skiing, only to realize during her recovery from a broken leg that she might never reach the elite levels in that sport. She’s been candid about her preference for the slopes. ‘Gradually, I recognized I wasn’t that exceptional. I had a decent level as a junior according to British standards, but when compared to countries with proper snow, it wasn’t enough.’
Cycling became a vital part of her rehabilitation from that broken leg, eventually becoming her primary focus. ‘I chose that path and never looked back.’
Brown (pictured) had just missed out on winning a medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, finishing fourth
Henderson (left) maintained a neat and tidy performance to secure the most significant result of her career to date
American rider Taylor Knibb (pictured) fell off her bike during the race, and her mechanic also slipped on the wet surface
In contrast, Tarling’s finish at Pont Alexandre III was quite different. A front tire puncture just seven minutes into his race robbed him of vital momentum and likely a silver medal; cyclists are particularly susceptible to mishaps in wet conditions, where pooling water obscures the track and affects tire performance.
‘I hit a few bumps. I felt the rim and knew I had to change [tires] before the corner,’ the 20-year-old explained. ‘It was difficult to regain my rhythm and calm myself afterward. The conditions were challenging. I struggled to see through the visor after I stopped; it fogged up and wouldn’t clear. I had to deal with that.’ His response to the puncture? ‘There was a lot of swearing,’ he admitted. He is set to compete again in the road race.
Tarling finished 2.16 seconds behind Belgian Wout van Aert, who took the bronze, and just over 13 seconds off Italian Filippo Ganna. Without that puncture, he would likely have secured silver, although the strength of Remco Evenpoel’s gold-winning ride would have been tough to surpass. Cycling can be a brutal sport even in the best conditions, and these conditions only amplified the difficulty.
But it was Henderson who provided the much-needed silver lining. She shared that these Olympics had been a source of motivation through her two collarbone injuries. ‘The second injury was mentally challenging, and it took a lot to find the motivation again. But I always had Paris on my mind. That kept me going.’
