Nicole Cooke missed out on a medal after finishing fourth in the elite women's road race at the Road World Championships in Australia.
The Welsh Olympic champion from Beijing two years ago was in a strong position with a ten-second lead over the chasing pack with three kilometres remaining.
Cooke was clear of the field alongside Judith Arndt of Germany.
However, the leading pair were hauled back by Italy's Giorgia Bronzini, who went on to win the race ahead of Holland's Marianne Vos and Emma Johansson of Sweden.
"I'm so happy to have won today," said Bronzini. "That victory is for Franco Ballerini and my Italian team.
"We are a very close team and this means a lot."
Emma Pooley, who won the time trial gold on Wednesday, finished down in 20th place after working hard for Cooke earlier in the race.
Fellow Brits Lizzie Armitstead and Sharon Laws were ninth and 16th respectively.