Two days of competition so far, although sporting tales aside, when I was spinning the Sex Pistols' first album in 1977 I don't imagine anyone would have thought that Pretty Vacant would one day get showcased in front of Her Madge at a London Olympic Opening Ceremony.

The Men's Road Cycle race on day 1 showed why they have the events in the first place rather than just give out medals based on rankings.The GB script was that Mark Cavendish would win in a sprint, because that's what he does. In the event GB never got to cover the breaks, and so, unpredictably, the gold went to a 39 year old Kazakhstani with a doping ban on his recent CV, just outriding a Colombian mountain specialist who saw his father killed on the streets in the Medellin drugs strife.

Massive battle in the Men's 4 x 100 metres freestyle relay where the supposed USA vs Australia showdown was in fact upset by an underperforming Oz squad and a mighty French quartet who just snuck the gold in the last 10 metres with possible the fastest ever 100m split in the event. Great spectacle.

Athletics news is that - maybe not a surprise - Paula Radcliffe has had to withdraw from the marathon in what would have been her 5th Olympics. She made a very dignified and insightful statement on the UKA website, which should remind those who think her main traits are weeping and getting paid a lot that she has achieved a huge amount in the sport.