Former Dunedin rider Greg Henderson has had a week to remember in his first Tour de France.
The 35-year-old Lotto Belisol rider has no chance of winning the prestigious race. He has been picked for one reason: to lead out team-mate Andre Greipel.
It is Henderson's job to get the Belgium sprinter into a position to win stages, and so far he has done his job superbly.
Greipel has claimed two stage wins (four and five) and finished second on stage two.
Henderson played a key role each time, particularly on stage four. Greipel narrowly avoided a crash in the closing moments and lost a lot of time, slipping back down the peloton.
Henderson eased off the pace and waited for Greipel, and then toed him back to the front of the race, positioning him perfectly for the final sprint to the line.
With 200m remaining, Henderson was in front but swerved to the side to let his team-mate slingshot past and grab the stage win.
Greg's brother, Chris Henderson, who has been getting up in the early hours of the morning to watch the coverage, told the Otago Daily Times he was immensely proud of his brother.
"Greg is the ultimate team player," Chris said.
"I spoke to him after that stage and said, 'Bro, that was so close'.
"Andre had crashed twice that day and had said he wasn't going to sprint. Greg said, 'Yes, you are' and just talked him around.
"He has done everything I expected and it is good to see him get some credit for it.
"Getting back to sleep has been mission impossible. You're just so wound up and excited."
Henderson is unlikely to feature prominently in the next week or so with the tour moving into the mountains. Stage eight boasted seven climbs, including a brutal final ascent.
Sprinters like Henderson tend to group together to help pace each other during the climbs and try to make up time on the downhill sections. It is not uncommon for riders to reach speeds of 100kmh.
"Greg said his fastest speed this morning was 103kmh."
Henderson watch
Stage eight
How former Dunedin rider Greg Henderson (Lotto-Belisol) is faring in his first attempt at the Tour de France.-
• Yesterday: 133rd on the 157km ride from Belfort to Porrentruy in a time of 4hr 12min 51sec, 16min 41sec behind stage winner Thibaut Pinot.
• Overall: Back to 88th with a time of 38hr 49min 44sec, 31min 19sec behind leader Bradley Wiggins.
