'Women’s races are very unpredictable: there is no clear dominator'
Magdeleine Vallieres, Kimberley Le Court, Maëva Squiban. Just a few names from the women's peloton who completely broke through last year with one or more major victories. According to Anna Henderson, herself a rider for Lidl-Trek, such riders prove that the level of women's cycling is rising. And that, in her view, only makes the racing more attractive.
"I think a lot has changed," says the 27-year-old Henderson, a pro since 2020, in an interview with Cyclingnews. "If you look at who won which race last year, you see that nobody totally dominated."
"Okay, Lorena is in a class of her own," Henderson acknowledges that Lorena Wiebes is almost unbeatable in bunch sprints. "But if you look at other types of races and other rider profiles, it was really impressive to see how many different riders could be the best. I think that’s truly a compliment to women’s cycling. The overall level of the women is rising."
Unpredictable
Henderson, winner of the 2025 Tour of Guangxi and a stage at the Giro d'Italia Women, emphasizes that this is especially remarkable because there are relatively few opportunities. She points out that the women's Giro, Tour, and Vuelta only have eight or nine stages, in contrast to 21 for the men.
"Women’s races are really unpredictable," says Henderson. "You don’t know who’s going to win. Of course, you know who is in form at that moment, but the absence of a clear dominant leader makes the races pure. Someone can have a bad day, another a great day, and that leads to many different winners. That brings a lot to the sport."
