The Briton seemed shaken by the incident. He said afterwards that he had decided at the halfway stage that “no one was going to let me get a lap” and decided instead to concentrate on the sprints.

He managed to win one with 70 laps remaining to move to within six points of Viviani. But that was as close as he got, and in the end he needed a fourth place finish to Hansen’s fifth in the penultimate sprint to move one point clear of the Dane. Thereafter he marked Hansen to the finish.

There was a period of uncertainty at the end as everyone waited to see whether anyone would lodge a protest. But none was forthcoming. Viviani, in floods of tears at his gold, was in no mood to apportion any blame. "It's not his fault," said the Italian. "The Korean guy was halfway on his wheel, normally you stay on the wheel. Cav was in front and changed direction so it's all normal."

Hansen, too, declared it a racing incident. “S*** happens,” said the bronze medallist. “He’s not that sort of rider.”

That is certainly true. And speaking after the medal ceremony, in a better mood, Cavendish was quick to hold his hands up. “It was my fault,” he said. “I should've looked where I was going a bit more. I hope he's all right.”

The truth is Cavendish was brave to come back to the Olympics at all. As he is fond of saying, they are not that big a deal in the world of pro road riding. The Manxman did not need this Olympic medal to validate his career. In fact, it would have been easier not to put his reputation - and a significant amount of his own money with the flat in Manchester and additional rent and taxes - on the line.

That he did is to be commended. It was not what he came for, but silver is not to be sniffed at.