LIZZIE Armitstead spoke of her jubilation and relief at finally ending her wait for a major gold medal.

The Otley ace led an England one-two ahead of Emma Pooley in today's Commonwealth Games women's road race.

Armitstead finished with silver behind Australia's Rochelle Gilmore in Delhi four years ago and claimed Britain's first medal of London 2012, with Olympic silver behind Marianne Vos of Holland.

She said: “I just feel like I deserve it.

“I’ve trained so hard. I’m always on the podium but I don’t win that many races.

“It’s just a confidence thing. Once you’ve got a big title you can call yourself a champion finally.

“Hopefully it will bode well for the rest of the season.

“The psychologists tell you it should never be a relief when you win a race but to tell you the truth it is.” She added: “I am really happy. That was the best cycling teamwork I have ever been a part of. It’s such a shame Emma is retiring – it was a fantastic job from her and all the girls and I am really proud of them.”

Pooley added: “That was unexpected! We were working for Liz and I wanted to do everything for her. When she came past me and I was still clear [of the chasers], I thought I might as well keep going. It’s been a long nine years, and it was nice to finish on a high.”