World road race silver for Cooke

The 22-year-old has had a stop-start season after knee surgery and political rows in her team that cost her the chance to defend the Giro d'Italia.

But the Wick cyclist says that has left her invigorated for the Games build-up.

"I am fresh mentally and physically and I'd like to go through the winter training consistently," said Cook.

"If you look at all my seasons I have always gone strong in the spring so my form should be all right."

Cooke, a four-time junior world champion, had looked disappointed at taking second in a bunch sprint behind Germany's Regina Schleicher in Madrid.

But she later admitted she was pleased to have muscled her way through to claim the silver, shrugging off the challenges of the German, Lithuanian and Italian teams.

I had to cope with a few shoulder barges in there, but I held firm so that was good Nicole Cooke

"I think it was really good that I was able to come second to a fast sprinter like Regina who had the best train to lead her out," said Cooke.

"All she had to do was the last 100m and so it was all delivered to her.

"Behind her, every other rider was involved in a dogfight and I had to cope with a few shoulder barges in there, but I held firm so that was good."

Cooke admitted she had struggled in the fourth of the six laps of the 21 km course through the streets and suburbs of Madrid.

But Great Britain team-mates Rachel Heal and Charlotte Goldsmith pulled her through the last two circuits, allowing her to conserve energy for the last 500m.

"During the race, I went through a really bad patch on the fourth lap where I found myself at the back looking at people going out of the back of the race and thinking 'I mustn't be one of these and I have to move up'," she said.

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"The girls all helped me get back up there and everyone did what they could so for sure without the girls supporting me, I wouldn't have been there."

Cooke's team-mate Emma Pooley, 23, suffered what looked like a nasty crash on the fourth lap and was taken to hospital on a stretcher for treatment for concussion and a suspected broken rib.

However, the Cambridge University graduate - who has made a rapid rise from the amateur ranks to international racing on the back of a fourth-place finish in May's national championships - was found to have escaped serious injury.