The parents of cyclist Greg Henderson were woken by a text message from their son at 4am yesterday, saying he had just won a stage in the prestigious Tour of Spain.
Henderson (32), riding for the Columbia-HTC team, crossed the finish line first on stage three, 189km from Zutphen to Venlo, almost a bike length ahead of Slovenia's Borut Bozic, with Spain's Oscar Freire third.
It is only the second time a New Zealander had won a stage on the Tour of Spain, with Paul Jesson in 1980, winning a stage in Santander.
Gail Henderson, of Dunedin, said her son was thrilled with the win, and the way it had worked out for him.
He was only called into the team to contest the tour last week, after top sprinter Andre Greipel, of Germany, said he wanted Henderson in the team.
Gail Henderson said Greg had called the stage victory a career highlight on the road, and was on a high when he rang home yesterday morning.
"He had been up chatting with people, and getting congratulations from all over the world. I don't think he realised how many people he knew, and were watching the race," she said.
"He thought Andre was on his wheel and that was the plan but it didn't pan out that way. He looked around saw that there was no-one there so he went for it. He's elated. Over the moon."
Henderson has had a great last month, with his wife Katie Mactier giving birth to their first child, a baby daughter, Charlie, four weeks ago.
The family are based in Spain and Mrs Henderson was travelling to Spain later this month, to get the first glimpse of her granddaughter.
She said her son was not a contender for the overall tour, as his job was to lead out other riders and do the hard work.
Henderson is based in Spain in the northern summer, and in Melbourne in the southern hemisphere summer.
The victory was Columbia-HTC's 13th stage win of the season in one of the major European professional cycling stage races.
After three days racing, the stage one winner Fabian Cancellara, of Switzerland, remains in the overall lead.
Henderson is in second place, six seconds back and Germany's Gerald Ciolek, who won stage two, is third, eight seconds down.
Henderson said victory almost came by accident, with top sprinters like Belgium's Tom Boonen, of Quick Step, and American Tyler Farrar, of Garmin, flummoxed by a chicane that dispersed the riders late in the stage.
"I was there in the last kilometre with Andre Greipel and Marcel Sieberg on my wheel," Henderson told reporters, just after the finish.
"But there was a little chicane, some other riders came through very fast, and I followed them.
"When I looked back I couldn't see Greipel on my wheel, so I went for it myself. In yesterday's build-up for a bunch sprint, we were going well but there was a headwind, we lost some riders and we had to mix it in again.
"But we practise our lead-out and when we get it right like today we're difficult to beat."
Henderson told Radio Sport he found himself in the perfect position to sprint for the win, and it was an absolutely amazing thing to win.
He celebrated with a red wine with his team-mates and earned the plaudits of roommate Greipel.
"He has done a lot for me in the season," the German told roadcycling.co.nz.
"I trust him and I know he is good so it's good. Today was good for him because he deserves to win."
Henderson has been content until now with his support role at Columbia-HTC but indicated that may soon change.
He is frustrated not to have received more opportunities, having been a late inclusion in this tour and being left out of their team for the Tour de France, a political decision which still irked.
"Sometimes it's out of your hands whether you ride some of these races," he said.
"There's a chance I might not be riding for this team next year. I might be going to another team next year and riding for myself. Watch this space."
The other New Zealand riders finished well back in the peleton yesterday, with Julian Dean 54th and Tim Gudsell 154th.
The Tour of Spain finishes in Madrid on September 20.
