Kristen Faulkner of the United States won Olympic gold in the women's cycling road race in Paris on Sunday, outwitting three rivals late in the 158km run around the city.

Veteran Marianne Vos of the Netherlands took silver ahead of Belgium's pre-race favourite Lotte Kopecky in a photo finish.

The 22-year-old Hungarian rider Blanka Vas just missed out.

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"I feel like it's a dream come true," said Faulkner. "It's the best feeling in the world and I don't know how to describe it."

Vas and Vos had led over the entire closing circuit of the French capital until Kopecky and Faulkner caught them with the finish line 2km away.

The American then launched an attack to break free of the lead group and surged to the finish, the other three riders left lagging well behind.

Faulkner, a former rower from Alaska, said her tactics were born of necessity.

"Kopecky wanted to catch the front two, so I knew she'd ride with me. I also knew that if we caught them, then I had to attack because I couldn't beat any of them at the line," she said.

The 31-year-old said the fact she had won took time to sink in even after she crossed the line where she grabbed an American flag and lapped up the support of huge crowds.

"I had to double and triple check that I won gold. I knew it but I didn't know it," said Faulkner.

Behind her the other three slugged it out for the two remaining medals, with Vas the odd one out.

Ninety-three riders from 58 nations set off in bright sunshine with Burkina Faso's Awa Bamogo the first to attack as the peloton departed Paris for the countryside.

A second sustained attack included the Hashimi sisters from Afghanistan, but the group was swallowed up as soon as the real action got going on the first of three climbs to Montmartre.