A broken collarbone brought his race week to an early end and it was a bitter blow for the 42-year-old who has previously won team gold and individual bronze, and he had high hopes for the Isle of Wight being in such good form.
No blame has been laid for the accident but with 60 bikes converging on the narrow streets of Ventnor it was catastrophic when one rider was clipped sending him careering into the barrier, his (borrowed) bike sliced off at the stem, as others piled into and over each other leaving a trail of carbon fibre and broken dreams.
Greg Mansell, Richard Tanguy and Ali Cann were all caught up in the accident but returned to the start line and it was Mansell who rode an inspired race for the silver medal, finishing behind Sarnian sprint specialist Tobyn Horton who pulled away on the last lap to triumph.
The men’s team earned a bronze medal with Tanguy finishing 14th, Nick Le Cocq 19th. Cann retired midway.
The ladies’ team set the tone in Ventnor with Kim Ashton clinching a bronze medal and underlining her potential in her first Games as a cyclist, having previously enjoyed medal success in badminton.
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