Photo: Hoebele via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped. This adapted image is also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Vegan cyclist Anna Henderson has won Olympic silver in the women's individual time trial in Paris, Team GB's first silver of the Games and Britain's first cycling medal.
The 25-year-old covered the rain-soaked course through the center of the city in 41:09.83, behind Australia's Grace Brown, and beat the USA's Chloe Dygert to silver by just 0.87 seconds. Rain had soaked the roads all morning, and Henderson was one of the few riders not to crash, Team GB reports. Her medal is Britain's second of Paris 2024.
It's quite a comeback. She broke her collarbone in February at the Setmana Ciclista, then was hurt again on Stage 2 of La Vuelta Femenina a few months later, leaving her wondering whether she would make Paris at all.
I burst into tears when I found out I was second. I just can't stop smiling.
The plan, she explained, was "focusing on power in the straights and caution in the corner."
Henderson used to be "one of the biggest meat eaters out there", she told Rouleur in 2021. She went vegan after making the connection between meat and animals, and she believes it has made her a faster rider (Yahoo Sports):
I feel no difference, I feel better. I'm faster, I'm a bit leaner and I love it.
She also says it has been "super easy" as a pro, and that her team supports her choice. Plant Based News called her ride "powered by plants", and it's hard to argue.
Henderson won Commonwealth Games time trial silver in 2022 and European time trial silver last September. Earlier this month vegan Lewis Hamilton won a record ninth British Grand Prix.
Powered by plants.