ContinueGreat Britain won their first medal at The Olympics earlier today, and it was no surprise that the success came courtesy of the cycling team.
After the disappointment yesterday of Mark Cavendish's bid to win Olympic gold, Lizzie Armitstead provided some cause for celebration when she claimed silver in the women's cycling road race.
With a strong group of riders for Team GB including the defending Olympic champion, Nicole Cooke, there was a real chance to grab the gold medal. Where as the plans for the men's race all revolved around a sprint finish for Mark Cavendish, it was clear that depending on how the race developed either Armitstead or Cooke had a chance at winning a medal.
On a day of torrential rain, thunder and lightening, and multiple thrills and spills, it was the Dutch team who tried to gain control of the race to set it up for the pre-race favourite Marianne Vos. Multiple attacks throughout the race from Eleonora Van Dijk eventually paved the way for the breakaway of three which included Vos, Armitstead, and Russia's Olga Zabelinskaya. With the rain pouring down on The Mall, it was left to a sprint finish and Vos proved too strong as she powered to victory.
There are still plenty of chances for medal success to come at London 2012 for the Team GB cycling squad with the time-trial and action at the velodrome in the coming days.
