LIZZIE Armitstead has been discharged from hospital after colliding with photographers moments after winning the first stage of the Aviva Women's Tour.

She was described as being battered and bruised and later confirmed she had withdrawn from the Tour.

Armitstead had just crossed the finishing line in Aldeburgh when organisers said the 26-year-old Boels Dolmans rider "appeared to lose control and veer left".

She then hit photographers stationed at the side of the road and hit the ground, followed by a handful of other competitors in the chasing pack.

Immediate medical treatment was administered on site before Armitstead, whose honours include Olympic silver in the road race at London 2012 and gold at last year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, was collected by ambulance and taken to the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

Several hours later Armitstead, a gold medal winner in last year's Commonwealth Games road race and a silver medallist at London 2012, tweeted to confirm she had escaped serious injury but would not be on the start line for stage two in Braintree on Thursday.

Instead, she is hoping to be back to full fitness for next month's national road championships .

"I remember winning with the help of my team-mates and then not much else, but I am ok, nothing broken just very sore," she wrote.

"Thank you for all your kind messages and to the NHS staff who took care of me so well. I won't start tomorrow in the hope of recovering properly for the Nationals."