Australia's Rohan Dennis took the Commonwealth Games title in the men's time trial after an early crash for favourite Geraint Thomas.
Wales' Thomas entered the Birmingham Games off the back of a third-placed finish in the 2022 Tour de France and was the final rider to set off in the second group on Thursday.
However, the 36-year-old clipped the barriers with his back wheel after rounding a corner too quickly in the early stages and fell off his bike before attempting to make a miraculous recovery.
Thomas's mistake allowed Dennis to take advantage, and the Australian finished with 46:21.24 on the clock to sit on the biggest wooden throne and win the gold medal.
England's Fred Wright led after the first group before lunch with a time of 46:47.52 but was then pushed down to silver, ultimately finishing over two seconds clear of Thomas, despite the latter's desperate sprint finish.
The Welshman also appeared to have been unhappy with a bike issue after his crash but still managed to win the bronze medal in a time of 46:49.73, nearly two minutes quicker than fourth-placed Aaron Gate of New Zealand.
Wright's fellow Englishman Dan Bigham also suffered a dramatic crash after a corner, and his handlebars became entangled in the metal barriers before he frantically attempted to prise them out to no avail.
Bigham quickly collected a spare bike and finished 12th with a time of 50:04.66, and Thomas's compatriot Owain Doull - who was third after group one - finished seventh.
Ben Knapton
