A blow to GB’s chances ahead of this Saturday’s Women’s Road Race at the World Championships in the Netherlands with news that Lizzie Armistead has withdrawn due to illness. Armistead, who won GB’s first medal at the London Olympics, taking silver at a rain-soaked Road Race, was set to lead the six-woman squad on the 129km course with that honour likely now to go to Emma Pooley who finished fourth in Tuesday’s Time Trial. The decision not to call up a squad replacement for Armistead will leave the GB team two members down from the maximum of seven as only six had initially been selected. The GB squad will now comprise Emma Pooley, Katie Colclough, Nicole Cooke, Sharon Laws and Nikki Harris.
