Armstrong covered the 18-mile course south of London in 37 minutes, 34.82 seconds. Arndt finished in 37:50.29 for the silver, while Olga Zabelinskaya of Russia posted a time of 37:57.35 to add a bronze to the one she captured in Sunday's road race.

The 38-year-old Armstrong briefly retired after her triumph at the 2008 Beijing Olympics to start a family, but she hopped back on her bike after delivering a son, Lucas, in 2010.

On Wednesday, she looked as if she'd never been away.

Armstrong, a two-time world champion, had already gained a second on the field by the first time check, and by the time she reached the second checkpoint, at the 12½-mile mark, the lead had swelled to nearly five seconds.

Armstrong knew she was headed for another gold when she started to pick off riders in the run-up to the finish, including Dutch champion Marianne Vos, who won gold in the road race.

Continue Reading...