| Silver for Armitstead, GB Road Girls deliver first Medal |
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| Friday, 03 August 2012 11:04 | |||
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The Great Britain team of Nicole, Lizzie Armitstead, Lucy Martin and Emma Pooley delivered the first medal for GB in the Olympic Road Race when Lizzie Armitstead got in to the race winning break with just over 40km to go and then came second to Marianne Vos (NED) in a sprint finish with break away companion Olga Zabelinskaia (RUS) taking Bronze.
Nicole, Lizzie, Lucy & Emma sign on. The 140km race gets underway on The Mall.
The early morning sun disappeared and rain began to fall moments before the race was due to start. The peleton made it's way out of London and a solo attack by a rider from Brazil was quickly neutralised. There were a number of crashes but the GB girls stayed out of trouble as the peleton arrvied at the Box Hill circuits and the race came alive. There were attacks the first time up Box Hill and the peleton split in to pieces, Nicole was caught behind on one descent and had to chase to rejoin the peleton. Once back in the group the riders readied themselves for the final ascent of Box Hill. In the sprint finish Marianne Vos proved too strong, winning Gold, Lizzie had to settle for Silver and Zabelinskaia took Bronze.
Nicole & Lizzie after the Race The sprint - Marianne Vos wins the Olympic Road Race
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Over the top Zabelinskaia made a solo move and was just ahead of the peleton, a counter attack by Vos was covered by Armitstead and Shelley Olds (USA) and these 3 riders broke away and caught Zabelinskaia to make a leading group of 4. Nicole and Emma Pooley were now covering any attempts from riders in the bunch to break away or jump across to the leaders. As the German and Italian teams took up the chase for their sprinters the 2 British riders waited, if the break would be caught Nicole and Emma would then be back in the game making attacks and covering moves. A puncture for Olds meant that she dropped out of the break and with 3 riders in the break they knew they could all win a medal and began to ride with even more determination towards the finish. 
