Great Britain’s Neah Evans and Pfeiffer Georgi saw a Madison medal slip away on the final lap of an enthralling race at the European Championships in Munich.
The pair went into the 15th and final sprint on 36 points, level with France at the top of the standings.
But their earlier exertions caught up with them as Italy’s Silvia Zanardi and Rachele Barbieri sprinted away to gold.
France won silver on 40 points with Denmark taking bronze on 38, two points clear of Evans and Georgi.
Great Britain’s challenge for gold was built on a lap gained over the rest of the field – worth 20 points – with another 54 to go in the race.
That move put them clear at the top of the overall standings, but Evans and Georgi saw their advantage whittled away.
“We went out with such good intent, we gave it everything and it didn’t quite come together, but that is the Madison,” Evans told BBC Sport.
“There are many different elements to it, so many near misses. We got a lap and we gave it such a good go, so I am very proud of what we did today.”
Georgi, 21, admitted afterwards that she felt she had could have performed better after taking silver in Saturday’s elimination race.
“I feel a bit bad for Neah because I was a weak link in the pairing,” she said.
“I was suffering the whole way through, especially that lap take, it felt never ending.”
Great Britain’s Sophie Capewell finished sixth in the keirin as Germany’s world champion Lea Sophie Friedrich successfully defended her European title.
Team-mate Hamish Turnbull was second in the 7-12 keirin final as France’s Sebastien Vigier also added the continental crown to his world title.
Rhys Britton and William Tidball failed to finish the men’s Madison after Tidball was caught up in a crash. Hosts Germany went on to take gold.
