Lizzie Armitstead was left satisfied with her afternoon’s work as she finished third at the Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix on Saturday.
The 25-year-old added Commonwealth Games gold to her London 2012 Olympic road race silver last Sunday as led an English one-two ahead of Emma Pooley in Glasgow.
And after a few days rest, she was back in the saddle for the biggest women’s criterium race ever to be staged in the United Kingdom.
Armitstead was joined on the start line by world road race champion Marianne Vos, the same Dutch rider who pipped her to gold in London two years ago.
But it was Italian Giorgia Bronzini who took the honours in a sprint finish, edging out Vos into silver with Armitstead taking bronze.
Last year’s winner Laura Trott had to settle fifth behind Scottish rider Eileen Roe.
And Armitstead, who turns her attentions to next month’s Road World Championships in Spain, was happy with the way the race panned out.
“I’m really happy to be on the podium and the podium places were correct, I just clung on in there in the sprint for as long as I could,” she said.
“To be honest, I’m happy with third place, I’ve really not prepared for this at all, it’s a criterium, I’ve been training for road races and had the week off since the Commonwealth Games doing different things.
“This season has gone great, it feels like it is never ending, so you never get the chance to stop and think about it but it’s gone well.
“But my aim going into the World Championships is to win.”
© Sportsbeat 2014