Did anybody see the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games? Well, of course you did. I guess there are divided views on the show; personally I nearly turned over after thinking I was watching the Royal Variety Show by accident. Conversely, my partner Kevin was glued to the screen like a child at the candy shop.

I could lie and ask “didn’t you think the cyclists with wings were rather good?” but I must admit I didn’t see them on the screen but in a Sunday paper instead – I had gone off to wash my hair by then or pluck a chicken or anything else other than sit through that expensive display of national pride.

I think the Games proper will also bring certain divides; there will be people that think just because we are hosting we must win, while there are also those that couldn’t care less if we come last. However, whatever blackness or lightness there is in our hearts when it comes to competitive games, I bet we all share a certain fascination with the dedication and personal sacrifice those athletes that compete demonstrate.

I’ve been there as a child, on the brink of a sporting career, veering over the edge of the precipice, a lifetime of hard exercise on the one hand and a few years of being able to catch The Fresh Prince of Bel Air after school on the other.

Sadly, for the world of competitive ice skating, The Fresh Prince won...

The problem was I looked at the Russians and Chinese and realised I would never win, they were too good, and even if that did happen, I would probably die a little bit trying. Those guys trained around the clock and most of them even forgot schooling to be the best.

But that is what it takes – if you want to be the best, you have to train like the best.

It’s easy to forget that when we watch the professionals on television; they make it look so easy.

Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France was a massive achievement, but has anybody looked at his legs? Weird looking, lean but muscularly, those legs take Bradley up and down hills in record time quick enough to beat everyone else. But they won’t win any beauty contests.

Similarly, most of the athletes we will see in the games have over-enhanced muscles that just seem necessary for winning. Not something I would want to see in the mirror every day, though.

But you can’t forget the preparation it has taken all athletes to get to the Games, years of perfecting their game, early morning training and I bet a lot of them cycle to get those fitness levels up as well.

I will mostly be following the cycling, of course, but it’s a perfect opportunity to get a good, all-encompassing dose of all sports, and good luck to all Team GB.

Just make sure you try your hardest to beat those pesky Russians and Chinese for me.