Great Britain’s Anna Henderson won the second stage of the Women’s Giro d’Italia and claimed the pink jersey for the overall leader.
Olympic time-trial silver medallist Henderson edged past French rider Dilyxine Miermont in an uphill sprint finish after the pair broke away from the peloton with 41.4km to go of the 92km stage through the Alps.
Henderson, riding for Lidl-Trek, took the pink jersey from Switzerland’s Marlen Reusser who won the opening stage, and currently has a lead of 15 seconds.
“As a team, we made the plan to be aggressive because we knew it would be a hard final and we have a really good team for attacking,” said Henderson.
“We’re here for stages, this is what we came to do, and I’m so thankful for my teammates for supporting me.
“I’m just beyond grateful and happy, I can’t believe it. It’s my first World Tour victory, my first individual Grand Tour victory. I’m in shock.”
Defending champion Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy finished sixth and is third in the general classification, 31 seconds behind Henderson.
The eight-day race continues with a 122km stage through the Alps on Tuesday, between Vezza d’Oglio and Trento.
