Laura Kenny, Katie Archibald, Emily Nelson and Emily Kay stormed to a memorable Track World Cup success on the opening night of action in Berlin.
With a significant gap between themselves and Australia going into the final two laps of a race that looked to be over, the quartet went through the gears and surged past their counterparts to seize victory by the scruff of the neck to an admiring German crowd.
The win was the first of two medal moments for Britain on the night, with the trio of Jason Kenny, Philip Hindes and Ryan Owens claiming silver in the team sprint after losing a sizzling final to the Netherlands.
The first medal race of the evening was one for the memory as Kenny, Archibald, Kay and Roberts mounted an incredible comeback to seal gold on the opening night of the third Track World Cup of the series.
The Australians, made up of Georgia Baker, Ashlee Ankudinoff, Amy Cure and Annette Edmondson, set off quicker and led throughout the race, holding a solid lead of more than 1.5 seconds for extended periods.
Indeed, three laps to go and there was still a huge gap that Great Britain had to make up, and it looked like they had left it too late to rein in the Antipodeans.
But the quartet are bursting with talent and experience, all of which was laid out in spectacular fashion in the final three laps as they ate up the gap and crossed the line in 4:16.153, ahead of Australia, to complete a magnificent triumph.
The men’s sprinters had looked in fine fettle throughout the evening and eased through to the final against a Netherlands outfit which more than matched their quality.
The two teams looked a cut above the rest of the field on the night, with Britain opting for Philip Hindes over Jack Carlin, who had ridden the earlier rounds, in the final.
It was nearly enough to break the Dutch as the British trio tore out of the blocks quicker, but their opponents powered their way back into the contest and took a dramatic win on the line.
Lauren Bate and Katy Marchant were drawn against home riders Miriam Welte and Emma Hinze in the first round after finishing fifth in qualifying earlier in the evening.
However, the Germans had too much in the tank for the efforts of the British sprinters, with Hinze and Welte finishing in 32.391, Bate and Marchant following on 33.430.
The men’s quartet of Ed Clancy, Kian Emadi, Ollie Wood and Charlie Tanfield came up against a strong Australian outfit in the first round, and did not progress for a shot at the medals.
Sportsbeat 2018
Pictures: SWpix.com