LONDON – New Zealand’s Greg Henderson surged into the lead of the Tour of Britain here Sunday, producing a commanding ride on stage two to claim the yellow jersey.

The 34-year-old from Dunedin received plenty of help from Team Sky colleagues Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas before crossing first on the 160.5 km ride which began and ended in Stoke-on-Trent.

The trio had taken control of the stage after opening up a big lead ahead of the peloton to put them in a promising position for the remainder of the race.

“I had a fantastic team with me, they rode the front for me right the way through to the line,” Henderson said afterward.

“I knew the finish from a couple of years ago so I waited and waited for as long as possible. No one had come with 300 meters to go so I just jumped as hard as I could knowing that I could open up a gap and I just held that to the line,” he added.

“It’s a nice treat to be in the yellow jersey and we’ll have a go at defending it now.”

Monday’s third stage is a 149.7km ride from Newtown to Swanswea in Wales and, finishing with steep and cobbled climb of Constitution Hill in the finale, could cause a shake-up in the overall standings.

The eight-stage race finishes in London on Saturday with eight laps of a 12.5km circuit.

Stage Results:
1. Greg Henderson (NZL) Sky, 3hr 59min 52sec, 2. Michael Albasini (SUI), s.t., 3. Heinrich Haussler (AUS) s.t., 4. Koen De Kort (NED) s.t., 5. Patrick Sinkewitz (GER) s.t.

Overall
1. Greg Henderson (NZL) Sky 7hr 16min 23sec, 2. Michael Albasini (SUI) at 14secs, 3. Heinrich Haussler (AUS) s.t., 4. Richie Porte (AUS) s.t. 5. Koen De Kort (NED) 17

Article: AFP
Photo: Corvos