Armitstead, who was the agreed pre-race team leader, suffered a late crash before recovering to finish seventh in Denmark, crossing the line in tears.

Cooke, meanwhile, had crossed three places ahead of her.

Cooke was expected to lead out Armitstead in the race as her male counterparts did with such success to tee their nominated rider Mark Cavendish up for the gold medal.

But when asked by Cycling Weekly how she thought Cooke had ridden, Armitstead – who made the decision after last month's National Track finals to concentrate on the London road race next year – responded: "For herself, in my opinion."

And when asked how often Cooke works for other GB teammates, Armitstead responded: "I've never seen her work for a teammate."

In the post-Copenhagen team meeting, Armitstead - who will now be in competition with Cooke for the team leadership - said that she and GB boss Shane Sutton had criticised Cooke.

"I said exactly how I felt." Armitstead said.

"And I'm really happy I did, because it's been an unspoken situation for too long.

"It needed to be out there.

"Someone needed to be honest about what was going on and why we didn't win a medal when we were capable of doing it.

"I was really disappointed.

"I had support in that meeting.

"It was a unanimous decision that Nicole didn't do her job properly."

Cooke however refutes Armitstead's claim, underlining that she only sprinted for herself when she thought Armitstead's chances were gone.

"I rode for the team and according to instructions given to me," Cooke said.

"It was a very difficult race tactically with some unlucky moments, but these things happen in cycling."


Asked if she expects to lead the team at the Olympics, she said: "Not at all, it will be quite simply judged on form in the lead-up to the race.

"I'll ride for whoever the leader is and I've been doing this throughout the whole of last season for my team.

"Saying the same problem won't happen again in 2012 is impossible as every race is so unpredictable, especially with crashes so near the end.

"That's cycling.

"The problem won't happen again in 2012 is impossible as every race is so unpredictable, especially with crashes so near the end.

"That's cycling.

"The problem doesn't lie in the team."


British Cycling women's manager Simon Cope admitted that the decision over who should be team leader was "a sticking point", adding: "Lizzie is the fastest at the moment.

"In Copenhagen, Nicole had an armchair ride to the finish, she didn't get baulked and she couldn't finish it.

"Armitstead was coming from far back, you could see her speed.

"But on a heavy day with bad weather, maybe you'd go with Nicole."

The men's Olympic places are decided already, but the women's team are within reach of qualifying maximum places and need to consolidate their position with a strong spring next year.

The final decision is made on May 31.

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