With three laps to go, about 40km, Pooley attacked on the climb up St. Vincent Street and opened up a gap but was soon joined by Armistead, Pasio, Tiffany Cromwell (Australia) and Linda Villumsen (New Zealand) for a 5-strong break. This proved to be the winning move and only Gracie Elvin (Australia) and Katie Archibald (Scotland) were able to bridge to them.
Kirchmann, now caught in the chasing pack of about 15-20 riders without her teammates, tried in vein to catch the leaders but the other big teams had no interest in helping as they had riders in the break.
Pooley attacked again with about 10km to go as pouring rain returned while Cromwell tried to contend as Armistead, sensing the moment, attacked on the next climb and soon caught her teammate and became the race leader.
Pooley remained alone in second chasing behind while Cromwell and Pasio battled for the bronze as Elvin and Villumsen could not match the pace. The chasing pack with Kirchmann was now over 2-min behind and out of the running.
Armistead claimed the gold soloing across the line as Pooley, filled with emotion in tears at her final road race, took the silver with Pasio capturing the bronze. Kirchmann won the pack sprint for 8th while her teammate Jasmin Glaesser was 25th. Fellow Canucks Laura Brown and Stephanie Roorda did not finish.
Results
1. Lizzie Armitstead (England) 2:38:43
2. Emma Pooley (England) 0:25
3. Ashleigh Pasio (South Africa) 1:11
4. Tiffany Cromwell (Australia)
5. Linda Villumsen (New Zealand) 1:14
6. Gracie Elvin (Australia) 2:19
7. Katie Archibald (Scotland)
8. Leah Kirchmann (Canada) 5:29
9. Joanne Kiesanowski (New Zealand)
10. Melissa Hoskins (Australia)
11. Dani King (England)
12. Hannah Barnes (England)
13. Amy Roberts (Wales)
14. Rushlee Buchanan (New Zealand)
15. Reta Trotman (New Zealand)
16. Jaime Nielsen (New Zealand)
17. Shara Gillow (Australia)
18. Anna Christian (Isle of Man)
19. Lucy Garner (England)
10. Laura Trott (England)
21. Lydia Boylan (Northern Ireland) 0:12:12
22. An-Li Kachelhoffer (South Africa) 0:12:17
23. Gemma Neill (Scotland)
24. Tamiko Butler (Antigua and Barbuda)
25. Jasmin Glaesser (Canada)
26. Chloe Hosking (Australia)
27. Anne Ewing (Scotland)
DNF Eileen Roe (Scotland)
DNF Charlene Joiner (Scotland)
DNF Laura Brown (Canada)
DNF Stephanie Roorda (Canada)
DNF Antri Christoforou (Cyprus)
DNF Ann Bowditch (Guernsey)
DNF Heidi Dalton (South Africa)
DNF Lise Olivier (South Africa)
DNF Elinor Barker (Wales)
DNF Karina Bowie (Guernsey)
DNF Joanna Watts (Guernsey)
DNF Aurelie Halbwach (Mauritius)
DNF Anriette Schoeman (South Africa)
DNF Claire Thomas (Scotland)
DNF Cherise Stander (South Africa)
DNF Nicole Mitchell (Bermuda)
DNF Vera Adrian (Namibia)
DNF Laura Wasley (Isle of Man)
DNF Claire Oakley (Northern Ireland)
DNF Joyce Nyaruri Matara (Kenya)
DNF Claire Fraser-Green (Guyana)
DNF Sriyalatha Wickramasingha (Sri Lanka)
DNF Katrin Garfoot (Australia)
DNF Katie Curtis (Wales)
DNF Linda Loffler (Swaziland)
DNF Carol Du-Pont (Swaziland)
DNF Bianca Hernould (Jamaica)
DNF Adikari Mudiyansel (Sri Lanka)
DNF Dinize Wilsch (Swaziland)
DNF Jane Njeri Mwangi (Kenya)
DNF Hayley Jones (Wales)
DNF Marina Bleasdale (Guernsey)
DNF Joyce Muthoni Mwangi (Kenya)
DNF Doreen Musoliza Lwimbuli (Kenya)
DNF Irene Steyn (Namibia)
DSQ Emily Collins (New Zealand)