Nicole Cooke won Britain's first gold medal today in another thrilling cycling road race.

After Spain's Samuel Sanchez edged the sprint finish in the men's boiling hot race yesterday, Cooke managed to win an even more thrilling finale in slightly different conditions. The rain was torrential, monsoon-like and has caused other events such as rowing to be suspended. There couldn't be a much more dangerous event than cycling in storms but after 100-odd km there was little choice for the women desperate for gold.

Welsh Nicole showed the best level of conditioning and the greatest amount if bravery and heart to hold off her challengers in that sprint finish. Her main rival and world champion Marta Bastianelli was banned after testing positive for banned weight-loss drug flenfuramina. The proud Italian cycling federation took a harsh stance and refused to let her cycle. Marta blamed her local chemist for mixing the herbs incorrectly. This should take nothing away from Cooke though, whose physical and mental toughness would probably have left the young Italian in all sorts of a mix.

Britain have invested heavily in cycling, with state of the art equipment being developed and research being made. Things like RAMP testing to establish VO2 max, maximum heart rate and maximum minute power are just the tip of the iceberg.

Britain have a great rivalry with Australia in sports such as cricket and rugby. When the cycling moves off the road and into the velodrome on Wednesday, that rivalry could be one of the Olympic highlights.

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