Armitstead, Cooke bury the hatchet after world championship spat

Reigning Olympic Champion Nicole Cooke has revealed that she has forgiven British rival Lizzie Armitstead for her comments made following the women's road race world championships in Copenhagen. Armitstead accused her Great Britain teammate of "riding for herself and never working for a teammate" after Cooke finished in fourth place and Armitstead in seventh.

The two met up at a team training camp earlier this month.

"Lizzie is the one who sparked it off so if she wanted to address anything the onus was on her to call me," Cooke explained to Wales Online.

"Lizzie is young and ambitious and she came out with those things.

"I have forgiven her and we have moved on."

Cooke, who initially was on lead out duties at the championships, said at the time that when she realised Armitstead wasn't going to make back after the crash 1.5km from the line, she readied herself to go for the win.

"Over the top of the hill, I didn't do any attacking because we wanted it to come to a bunch sprint," she said at the finish in Rudersdal, north of Copenhagen.

"Lizzie was going to call the shots. The team got her up to the front in position, I arrived a bit later and was ready for her, but she never came because she got caught behind that crash, so I had to ride for myself.

"I heard the crash and you keep looking - you know she's got the team supporting her to get her to me, so it should be doable. She wasn't there, so I then had to do the sprint for myself."