Thomas De Gendt of Belgium still has the leader's yellow jersey after attacking with just under a mile to go on Monday and finishing in the main pack.

Henderson held off his rivals to win a stage for the second straight year. He is second in the overall standings, four seconds behind.

“I was really motivated today. I wanted to stay close each day so I can take the yellow jersey,” Henderson said.

“It's always fantastic here. It's an amazing race, it's the biggest race for me - it's the Everest.” Henderson was aided by Sky teammate Geraint Thomas' lead off in the final stretch.

“I was just sitting there waiting,” Henderson said. “It was a really long sprint and I was lucky to hold the speed to the line.” The 199-kilometer ride from Montfort l'Amaury to Amilly was marred by several crashes, with Heinrich Haussler falling into a roadside ditch not far from the end and a mass crash involving Vladimir Gusev.

“Everyone was scared of the wind breaking the peloton to pieces,” Henderson said. “There were so many crashes, like 10 crashes at the finish. It was just crazy. In the finale, it was just a matter of staying at the front as much as possible.” Henderson said he will now focus on helping his team's leaders, Britain's Brad Wigginsand Australia's Michael Rogers.

Tuesday's stage is a 202.5-kilometer ride (126-mile) from Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire and Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy on slightly undulating roads.