Lizzie grabs first GB medal

Otley's Lizzie Armitstead with her Silver medal following the Women's Road Race at The Mall Credit: Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

West Yorkshire cyclist Lizzie Armitstead will go down in the history books after winning Team GB's first medal of the London 2012 Olympics.

She missed out on the Gold medal to Holland's Marianne Vos in a sprint finish in the pouring rain on the Mall in central London.

But Vos admitted she was far from confident of beating Lizzie Armitstead in the sprint to the line.

The 25-year-old needed all of her power to deny Armitstead a home victory after they and Russian Olga Zabelinskaya were left standing after a four-strong breakaway, guaranteeing themselves at least a medal after a wet and wild 140-kilometre ride.

Vos and Armitstead benefited from a succession of aggressive attacks from themselves and their team-mates in atrocious conditions.

Today's medal is the first of any colour for Team GB at London 2012 after Great Britain's men failed to achieve a podium place in their road race yesterday.

Friends gather to watch Lizzie's parents on Daybreak at The Junction in Otley