Mark Cavendish’s bid to claim Great Britain’s first Olympic gold of the London 2012 Games on The Mall was ended as Kazakhstan’s Alexandr Vinokourov triumphed in a dramatic men’s road race on Saturday.

Cavendish, the world champion and winner of 23 Tour de France stages, was among the favourites for the 250-kilometre event, which included nine ascents of Surrey’s Box Hill.

But despite phenomenal support from his four British team-mates Vinokourov won the sprint for the line.

Colombia’s Rigoberto Uran, a Team Sky colleague of Cavendish’s, claimed silver, with Norway’s Alexander Kristoff third.