IF YOU fall off your bike, the advice is to get right back on and go again.

Katie Archibald did not quite take a tumble from her state-of-the-art apparatus.

But, after losing the third place race-off in the 3k Individual Pursuit then finishing fifth in the Scratch Race after being in a medal position 20 yards from the line, the Milngavie rider certainly felt battered and bruised.

To her credit - and to the delight of the packed Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome - Archibald dug deep and made one final, lung-bursting effort to get among the medals in her final event, the gruelling and baffling 25km Points Race.

Going into the last of the 10 sprints which punctuate this 100-lap event, she was in joint-fourth spot, again, tantalisingly close to a medal without the need to actually make yourself available for the presentation ceremony.

But, willed on by a partisan crowd, and a good few neutrals, Archibald saved the best for last and refused to allow anyone to pass as she surged to the line and the five points which propelled her into bronze medal position behind England's Laura Trott and Wales' Elinor Barker.

Ironically, it was Amy Cure, who beat her in the race off on Friday, who she pipped by a single point to snatch Scotland's fifth and final medal in the velodrome.

The joy was unconfined as she hugged everyone who came within range, her saltire-dyed hair matted in sweat from the exertion, her smile revealing every drop was worth it.

Archibald could have accepted this was simply not to be her time.

But she didn't.

And, with a bronze medal to prove it, she said: "I've made a few bets and promises along the way that I'd get on that podium, so it's nice to keep my promise.

"You hear the crowd. It was amazing. It drove me round that final bend.

"I'm not disappointed to lose to Laura Trott and Elinor Barker because they're really classy riders.

"It was a glorious moment when I crossed the finishing line. You get about 10 minutes of euphoria when it feels fantastic!"

All a far cry from her debut at the event. "I remember my first national points race, and I fell off my bike at the end of that."

Earlier in the day, 41-year-old Aileen McGlynn had to settle for silver for a second time.

But there were no tears for souvenirs from the Crookston-based rider, or her pilot, Louise Haston, the Edinburgh bank worker who was bowing out of track racing unless new funding is found.

They were more than satisfied to have picked up double silver.

Having won the home nation's first medal of the Games when they finished second in Thursday's Para-sport sprint B2 tandem, they followed up with second place in the 1km Time Trial.

As in the sprint, the Scots found England's Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott just too good.

But, there was no sadness, nor regrets, just a genuine feeling of pride - and relief they had not let the home crowd down

McGlynn, who has won six medals - including three golds - in three Paralympics, but has lost her lottery funding because she is considered too old to be a gold medal contender for Rio 2016, admitted she felt she had something to prove and said: "I still don't think I've peaked.

"I'm quite happy to be still second in the world, really.

"Yeah, I think I've proved something."

The athlete who has only six per cent vision in one eye and 10 per cent in the other, was cheered on by her family, said: "My sisters, Sharon and Maureen, are visually impaired as well.

"They're proud of what I've done.

"I've been at international level for 12 years now, and they're really pleased I haven't let my visual impairment hold me back from doing cycling or achieving what I want to.

"That's hopefully a message to other people with disabilities and sight problems to get out there and do it, don't let it stop you."