Rio 2016 Olympic Games: Anna van der Breggen wins

Anna van der Breggen claimed gold in the women's road race after fellow Dutchwoman Annemiek van Vleuten suffered a sickening crash with a little over 11 kilometres remaining.

Van Vleuten came off on one of the many turns on the sharp descent towards the end of the 136.9km route, going over her handlebars and appearing to strike the ground head first.

Mara Abbott of the United states was able to pass the incident unscathed and led until the final few hundred meters, when Van der Breggen seized her opportunity to cross the line first.

Sweden's Emma Johansson was second, with Elisa Longo Borghini taking third and Abbott missing out on the podium.

Lizzie Armitstead, who was cleared to compete for Great Britain after appealing a suspension following three missed drugs tests, was never able to get involved in the medal reckoning and finished fifth.

And on a day of wildly contrasting fortunes for riders from the Netherlands, London 2012 champion Marianne Vos had to settle for ninth.

As with the men's race on Saturday, when several leading riders crashed out, the greatest drama happened late in the race.

What had been a tactical and sometimes scrappy affair developed into an intriguing battle for the line, with the brave Van Vleuten setting the tone on aggressive ascent and speedy descent.

But she lost control on a bend and came off her bike at speed, leading to fears over her wellbeing as she initially lay motionless by the roadside. The Dutch Cycling Federation later said Van Vleuten was "okay".

The race continued amid conern among onlookers, with Abbott taking command and effectively launching into a 10km time trial.

She had the line within sight, but was in the cross hairs of Van der Breggen, Johansson and Longo Borghini, all of whom conspired to force the American off the podium.