The frustration from Katie-George Dunlevy and her pilot Linda Kelly was obvious.
The pair, fresh from taking gold in the time-trial on Wednesday, were back in the Parisian suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois with Dunlevy determined to retain her Tokyo crown.
The route, just short of 100km, was seven laps of 14.2km peppered with 14 hills.
With three GB bikes in the mix and the nature of road racing, it was always likely to be a tactical affair and so it proved.
Backing up Dunlevy and Kelly were Josephine Healion and decorated pilot Eve McCrystal in her Paralympic grandstand, the Irish bikes sandwiched at the front by GB's Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl in the very early stages.
With McCrystal and Healion drifting back, the shootout for gold quickly became obvious; the Irish bike looking for a solo win, their opponents seeking to use their sprinting prowess to full effect.
For Holl and Unwin, the tactic was simple; hang on to the Irish wheel and deliver with the line in sight. It proved to be a strategy followed to the letter of the law.
On the flip side, the Irish women were simply boxed in. If they didn’t break free, they couldn’t sit off the pace as that would bring the second GB bike, lurking less than a minute behind, back into play.
Mid-race discussions concluded with an impasse, Great Britain offering to take turns at the front if the women in green promised not to attack. While Kelly was unsure, Dunlevy flat out refused. Launching attacks, particularly on the hills, suggested the most likely way to victory.
For six of the seven laps, Dunlevy and Kelly toiled at the front, pushing on the hills but never able to escape their clutches.
"It’s part of the game," Dunlevy told RTÉ Sport afterwards, "but it is frustrating. They did the right thing.
"That's what we would have done if they were the strongest bike and best climbers. We would have sat behind them so it was up to us to try and get away and we couldn’t."
Dunlevy’s bobbing head indicated they were on the limit entering the business end, but crucially, they were still in the lead. Approaching the last hill, they summoned all their reserve for one final effort.
It still wasn't enough, Hull and Unwin sticking to the wheel like a limpet. Approaching the final turn, a left-hander with 300m to go, the sense of inevitability was almost overbearing.
"We were just done by then. There was nothing we could do," Dunlevy conceded.
"We are pretty confident in our ability in a sprint finish, but they (Dunlevy and Kelly) never like to take us to a sprint finish," victorious Hull said after. "It was just a case of all race, make sure we are still with them, and if we're with them with 500m to go, we knew we would be pretty solid."
The competitive instincts mean Dunlevy was always more likely to lament a lost gold rather than celebrate silver. An eighth Paralympic medal and contributor to half of Ireland’s haul in Paris, and still a sense of what might have been.
"I am hard on myself because I really wanted to win it, but on reflection, it is my eighth Paralympic medal and Linda's second medal and her first road race medal.
"I was jumping up and down the other day, and I am a bit disappointed now because I wanted to win so much.
"I believe we are the strongest bike, so we should and could have won. But that's road racing for you. It is a bit of a lottery. It is so exciting and that is why I love it."
Long-term pilot Eve McCrystal has confirmed Los Angeles is a step too far, but Dunlevy is leaving the door open. She would be 46 when the next Paralympic cycle comes to a conclusion – the same age as McCrystal now and is looking forward to renewing rivalries with Great Britain in the upcoming Road World Championships.
The short-term focus is clear. Decisions regarding 2028 can wait.
"We need to have a bit of downtime. I will carry on for the year, but Los Angeles? I need to look at a few things, we’ll see. It’s a long commitment.
"I was asked why am I still doing it, why have I still got that drive?
"I think it’s just to kind of give back and inspire the next generation, inspire children. Even my younger self, I didn’t have anybody to look up to, any idols, so if it just inspires any child with vision impairment to just believe in themselves then that’s my job done."
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