Great Britain missed out on a medal in the women's road race at the Paris Olympics, but Pfeifer Georgi, Lizzie Deignan, and Anna Henderson all put on a phenomenal show to claim the winning split after a crash with 48km to go.

When Deignan launched a stunning attack to pull away from London Olympics rival Marianne Vos of the Netherlands with 21km to go, for a moment it looked like the clock had gone back to 2012, but this time it did not work for the British.

Vos escaped with Blanka Vas (Hungary), and after Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Kristen Faulkner (USA) bridged, Faulkner broke away from the lead group on her own, leaving Vos and Kopecky to take the silver and bronze medals.

Deignan explained that she had prepared "terribly" for the race, telling Cycling News and other assembled media that her attack was "suicidal" and that "I was in real pain today and had no intention at all of riding away to win a medal." She admitted.

Ten days before the race, she had an "emergency" and was hospitalized overnight. Last month, she said, "I contracted covid during the Giro and accidentally raced with it and really put myself through the ringer. I'm fine, but it was like an emotional roller coaster because it's hard to be in a race without a job."

"So I knew there was no final in the legs. But after 120km I started to suffer and I could see that Pfeiffer was getting better."

Georgy joined the lead group after the cobbled climb up Montmartre. Later, as the only country with multiple riders on the move, Dignan tried to keep Belgium's Kopecký (who was chasing alone behind Crash) from bridging the gap.

"All I knew was that Kopecký was not in the group. If Kopecký wasn't there, the Belgians would come from behind and I knew this was a great opportunity for us. We tried to establish that move."

Unfortunately for Great Britain, Kopecký caught the lead group before the next Montmartre climb, but Henderson and Deignan attacked the lead group and set up an uphill attack on Georgi. However, Georgi's move was nailed after the descent.

Georgi was asked if his move was too fast, and he replied, "It's the Olympics, so I knew anything could happen. I think anything can happen. I would rather die trying than not try."

The transfer sent the large crowd into an even greater frenzy than before, and Georgi was thrilled with the atmosphere. It was "the most amazing crowd I have ever experienced in my life.

Shortly thereafter, the top ranks buckled down and Dignan and Henderson were able to rejoin the top ranks.

As soon as they caught up, Dignan launched an attack on a small climb with 22km to go, and only Vos and Vas were able to match her pace.

"From the outside, it might look a little strange. But really, the best I could have done was to establish a breakaway and let Pfeiffer run free. It was complete suicide."

In the end, Georgi was caught up in the pack behind and was unable to go with Kopecký and Faulkner when they attacked to bridge the final climb of Montmartre with 9.5 km to go.

Georgy said after finishing fifth that he was "a little disappointed. 'I felt really good today. I was hoping something special would happen and I might have a shot at a medal, but on the last climb my legs said no.

"It hurts a little bit, but it's my first Olympics, so I'm not too disappointed with fifth place. "

"The Olympics is a totally different dynamic than other races. On the road, you don't get to be teammates. So it's a combination of new things. It was a really unpredictable race and you just have to do your best."

Dignan, who is competing in her last Olympics, is happy to pass the baton to her young teammate." She is a phenomenal rider and has a very bright future ahead of her. She has a great mindset and I'm happy to be working for her."

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