THE women’s road race was Katie Archibald’s fifth and final event at this year’s Games and it ultimately proved a race too far. The 24-year-old finished 23rd after being dropped by the leading group some 10km out from the finish on precisely the same climb on the coastal Currumbin course that cost her so badly in Thursday’s time trial.

Her countrywoman, Neah Evans, wasn’t feeling great either, but she fought her way back to the front as a high-powered Australian team set the pace, only for a fatal gap to develop, costing her the chance to add to her two medals in a bunch sprint.

The gold went to Australia’s Chloe Hosking, with Georgia Williams of New Zealand in second. Danielle Rowe of Wales received an all-star lead out from world champion Elinor Barker to take third.

While she day-trips on the road – her next event will be the Tour of Yorkshire – Archibald is primarily a track animal who would have fancied herself had she still been around in a bunch sprint.

While there were two agonising fourth places in there too, it was hard to be too downbeat about a Games which ended with a gold and a silver, her victory having come home in the event she targeted the most, the 3000m individual pursuit.

“Genuinely in an exact hierarchy, from event one down to event five, it has been in that order of priority,” said Archibald. “And my placings have actually married up with that. At least I know my body!

“Last time around, the road race was probably my most successful race in a way because it had been so unexpected. I got in a break that day, and finished seventh, and I really did well because I had no road experience back then. I can’t really use that line any more! If I had been in top road shape this race would have suited me. It was attrition through the climbs but the rest was fairly flat, just getting ready for the sprint.”

Evans isn’t far behind, with a silver and a bronze.

“This morning when the alarms went off at 5am we were thinking ‘why are we doing this?’,” she said. “For the first two laps I was thinking ‘this wasn’t a good idea’. But once the race progressed, I started to feel a bit better.

“It was tricky, I was cramping quite early into the race and just trying to survive. Me and Katie were talking to each other, saying ‘how do you feel?’, and neither of us were feeling too great. I was a bit annoyed because I just got a bit too gapped on that final climb. I was thinking ‘who’s wheel do I want to be on?’ and all of a sudden they [the Australians] just kicked it coming up the climb. It meant I had to chase the whole way and the sprint was away by the time I got into the finishing straight.

“Coming in to the Games, I didn’t have too much expectation but to come away with two medals and be top 10 in everything in my first Games is really good.”

Mark Stewart was first Scot home in a men’s race, finishing 17th, 57 seconds behind the winner, Australia’s Steele van Hoff. Grant Ferguson came 35th and Kyle Gordon didn’t finish.