It marked the eighth medal and fifth gold for the 36-year-old Londoner, who becomes the first cyclist to win an Olympic medal at five different Games.

He, Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Owain Doull clocked a world record of 3min 50.265sec as Australia slipped 0.743 seconds behind.

The final result only told half the story, however, as the two teams played-out another chapter in one of sport's most enduring rivalries.

Australia, who had only squeezed into the final with a time almost three seconds slower than the British, knew they had to go for broke to have a chance.

The return of Jack Bobridge after he was rested for the first round helped galvanise them as he, Alexander Edmondson, Michael Hepburn and Sam Welsford roared into a 0.60 second lead soon after halfway.

Britain gradually closed the gap, but it was only when Australia were reduced to three men with six laps to go that they were reeled in.

With three laps to go, Britain were ahead for the first time, and they ruthlessly pressed home their advantage to avenge their defeat at this year's World Championships in London.

Sir Bradley, utterly exhausted, stayed pedalling slower and slower on his own once the race had finished in what is set to be his last major test befor retirement.

The 2012 Tour de France and London 2012 Olympic time trial winner had given-up his successful road career in order to mount what many had considered a futile bid to return to the track - but he had proved his critics wrong once again.

"I wanted to go out with this," he said.

"I wanted it to end like this, not some crappy little race in northern France - Paris-Tours - climbing off in the feed zone

"It's brilliant."

It was fitting that two other great sporting knights were present to cheer him on in five-time champion rower Sir Steve Redgrave and six-time gold medal winning cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.

"The first people I bumped into were Chris and Steve, so just to be in the same breath as those guys is an honour," Sir Bradley added.

"It was more about what it meant to me. 

"I was thinking about how incredible it was for me in my first Olympics, and to be five Olympics on, to have five golds myself, I could never imagine that for one minute. 

"That's something to tell the kids about."

It was also a third gold medal for Clancy and a second for Burke as Britain once again showed their ability to thrive on the biggest stage.

Denmark claimed the bronze medal after comfortably overwhelming New Zealand in 3:53.789.

China had earlier claimed a first ever Olympic track cycling gold when Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi broke the world record as thye won the women's team sprint title.

They beat Russian world champions Anastasia Voinova and Daria Shmeleva in 32.107sec for a 0.294 second victory.

Germany's defending champions Mirian Welte and Kristina Voegel had to settle for the bronze medal after beating Australian flagbearer Anna Meares and partner Stephanie Morton in the third place race.

They crossed the line in 32.636 to deny Meares a sixth Olympic medal.