Armitstead left in state of disbelief after lifting world title

The Otley rider defied the odds with a late charge to catch the race leaders and made her move on the final climb up Libby Hill, holding off Anna van der Breggen in a dramatic sprint finish at the UCI World Road Championships.

Armitstead is already Commonwealth champion as well as 2015 World Cup winner, but was clearly emotional having claimed the rainbow jersey.

“This is the big one, the most special thing in cycling,” she said.

“It’s a dream come true.”

The 26-year-old raised her hand to her mouth in disbelief as she crossed the line a wheel’s length in front of van der Breggen.

“I just couldnt believe it...I didn’t get to celebrate, I was just going all the way for the line,” she explained.

“It was such a strange sprint for me because I was in front, leading out and waiting for the rush to come and it never came.

“It was just perfect.”

Armitstead’s stunning finish was all the more satisfying given the way the odds stacked against her as the race progressed.

With two of the eight laps remaining she was well placed, but 20km from home a nine-strong break left Armitstead in the peloton.

With little support she was forced to shelve one attack and at one stage sat 36 seconds back with just eight kilometres left.

But she reeled that in before embarking on her triumphant finish, beating van der Bruggen and Megan Guarnier into silver and bronze respectively.

Armitstead was determined to walk away with the win after a tactical hesitation cost her world championship glory in Ponferrada last year.

Having come in strongly fancied, she erred at the business end of the race and said ahead of her latest attempt: “I don’t want to finish the race with regrets”.

British Cycling president Bob Howden said: “This is a landmark moment in the history of British cycling. Lizzie represents the best of our great sport and deserves all of the praise coming her way.

“Her coolness under pressure in that final kilometre is the hallmark of all the great champions of cycling. She was the pride of Yorkshire and Great Britain already – now she’s the best in the world.

“I was very proud to have been there to see it in person, and in the company of Jonny Clay, now cycle sport and membership director at British Cycling, who spotted Lizzie’s potential when she was still at school in Otley.”

Her success was met with a string of supportive messages from British cycling’s ranks.

Team pursuit Olympic gold medallist Joanna Rowsell tweeted: “OMG @L_ArmiTstead is WORLD CHAMPION!!!!!! I am crying! So so proud!

“Literally on the edge of my seat for the whole of that last lap! What a race! Can’t wait to see you in rainbows @L_ArmiTstead #Richmond2015”.

Sprint great Mark Cavendish posted: “Yeeeessssss!!!! @L_ArmiTstead!!! Women’s World Road Race Champion in @richmond2015! Absolutely lost for words! Incredible! Massive congrats!”

Dame Sarah Storey, a three-time IPC world champion in the road race, added on Twitter: “Amazing work @L_ArmiTstead that was incredible! You so deserve that! #WORLDCHAMPION #rainbowstripes”.

Armitstead becomes the fourth British women to win the world title, following in the trailblazing path of her fellow Yorkshirewoman Beryl Burton, who won it in 1960 and again seven years later.

She is already focusing on adding Olympic gold to the rainbow jersey. “That would surpass this if I could achieve that,” said Armitstead. “That will be my focus now for the next 12 months. All in for Rio.”

Peter Sagan launched a brilliant solo attack two and a half kilometres from home to claim the rainbow jersey with victory in the UCI men’s world championship road race.

The Slovakian sprang off the front of the pack on the short final climb and quickly built a healthy gap, and was able to ease up and enjoy the moment as he crossed the line comfortably clear of Australia’s Michael Matthews in second and Ramunas Navardauskas of Lithuania in third.

Sagan has had an often difficult season since signing a big-money deal with the Tinkoff-Saxo team – criticised for his early performances by team owner Oleg Tinkov, enduring a string of second-placed finishes in the Tour de France and being knocked out of the Vuelta a Espana by a motorbike.

But the man synonymous with the Tour’s green jersey, which he has won four years in a row, will now don the rainbow stripes after a thrilling display.

“I think this is my biggest victory and I am very happy because I made a lot of sacrifices these last three weeks after the Vuelta,” he said. “I am very happy for this moment.”

Defending champion Michal Kwiatkowski, confirmed this weekend as a Team Sky signing for 2016, came home in eighth place while his new team-mate Ben Swift, from Rotherham, was the highest British finisher in 22nd.