Disappointment for the Manx Missile but Brits still in party mode

At least Cavendish wasn't bringing up the rear like these four

After last night's Opening Ceremony of epic proportions, directed to perfection by the ingenious Danny Boyle and leaving the vast majority of cynics enamoured with the Olympic Games, the sport began in earnest on this sunny London Saturday. I headed to Richmond Park to catch some of the road cycling, which is arguably the premier non-ticketed event of the Games, with the chance to get up close to Mark Cavendish and co, albeit for only a few seconds. Unfortunately for Cavendish and Team GB things didn't exactly go to plan as Kazahkstani Alexandr Vinokourov claimed the Gold, leaving the 'Manx Missile' all the way back in 29th place after Team GB's tactics went awry and the leading pack proved impassable.

Nobody told the guy at the back that you can't enter the race in a car

It has proved an underwhelming day for the host nation who are yet to win a medal, but Cavendish and co will be feeling hard done by after their tactics were simply too predictable and their reliance on other nations compliance found out. Everybody knew that the British 'dream team', consisting of Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, runner-up Chris Froome, national champion Ian Stannard and the well-respected veteran David Millar in support of Cavendish, would try to get the world champion to the front of the pack by the time the peloton reached Buckingham Palace and then let him show off his sprinting prowess. The larger numbers of cyclists who pushed forward earlier on however, ensured that Cavendish never got his chance.

The fans were out in force to cheer on Cavendish and pals

Tipped as our best chance for an early gold medal, it is a bitter blow to Great Britain particularly because of the boost Wiggins' Tour de France win had brought to the table so closeto the start of the games. Added pressure will now be placed on other big names such as Tom Daley, Jessica Ennis, Victoria Pendleton, Mo Farah and Rebecca Adlington over the coming fortnight to bring home the goods. The team shouldn't be too down-heartened though as at every Olympic Games there tends to be a few surprise medallists and new heroes establishing themselves on the world stage. Wiggins will go again on Wednesday where he hopes to claim gold in the road cycling time trial, an altogether different kettle of fish, as each rider sets off 90 seconds apart and races against the clock rather than a peloton.

It wasn't only humans who turned up to see some Olympic action

Another reason to be positive is the fantastic support shown for the Olympics by the British public so far. After the Opening Ceremony attracted more viewers than any other programme so far this millennium (I myself witnessed it on the big screen in Victoria Park where thousands had turned out to show their support), the Olympic fever showed no sign of dying down today as an estimated one million people lined the streets of Surrey and London to watch and cheer as the cyclists sped past. At Richmond Park the atmosphere was jovial and full of excitement as the cyclists came through for the second time in the day (they initially travelled through in the opposite direction shortly after the start of the race at 10am) and there was a consistent crowd, three or four people deep, on either side of the road. In the bushes of the park, stags' antlers could be seen poking above the leaves as the wildlife kept out of the way of an unusual influx of humans. It's not every day a load of Union Flag waving, cheering Brits turn out to watch probably less than a minute of sporting action, but the spirit of the Olympics means that for the people of London, it almost seems rude not to.


The Search for Excellence will return tomorrow for more Olympic action. Don't forget to follow @TSFE2012 for James's thoughts in brief throughout the games.




 All photographs by Helen Crane