The Norwich rider, who is based in Zurich, completed the 23.8km course along the Great Wall of China in a time of 35min 16.01sec to take a lead she held for nearly an hour before America's Kristin Armstrong came home in 34:51.72.

 

It was still a great performance from Pooley and a reward for the part she had played in Nicole Cooke's road race victory on Sunday.

 

Pooley, asked if she had a race plan, said: “No, you just have to ride like you never have to breathe again.

 

"Gold would have been better but I'm not going to complain.

 

"I'm probably the most surprised person of all at the way I finished.

 

"You have a secret hope but you like to keep it a secret because it sounds so arrogant to say I can win a medal and then don't get one.

 

"I raced as well as I could.

 

"In the road race, I was doing my job.

 

"Today, I just concentrated on riding as fast as I could, being absolutely smooth and enjoying myself without anyone to push me off.

 

"I was enjoying going fast.

 

"It was pretty fun.

 

"I just kept saying, 'faster faster.' I raced as well as I could.

 

"There's no secret, you just have to make it hurt.

 

"Imagine a friend sitting on your wheel, shouting at you."

 

Pooley revelled in the cooler conditions and the fact that it was dry, unlike the race on Sunday when there had been heavy rain.

 

She said: "It was not so hot today as I had feared.

 

"I just concentrated on doing my ride and enjoyed it as much as I could.

 

"It was a pleasure to ride -- like riding at home in training."

 

After crossing the finish line Armstrong, who celebrated her 35th birthday two days ago, fell into the arms of her husband and cried.

 

She was also hugged and congratulated by remarkable veteran French cyclist Jeannie Longo, who turns 50 in October and is competing in her seventh Olympics and just missed a medal by two seconds.

 

An exhausted Cooke was never in contention for another medal and finished 15th and was so exhausted she collapsed off her bike after crossing the finishing line.

 

Attention will now switch to the velodrome when the track cycling starts on Friday and where Britain's world-beating team are tipped to win up to 12 medals.