'If someone could make me look as good as Victoria Pendleton I would definitely be up for posing naked!' Cyclist Jess Varnish is living the Olympic dream
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With under two weeks to go, the Olympic athletes have packed up their bags and are preparing for the biggest sporting event of their lives.
With millions of viewers from all stretches of the world flying into the capital to watch the sports stars take to the stage, the pressure is mounting.
But one young athlete who isn't letting the Games fever get to her is track cyclist Jess Varnish.
In fact, she could not be more excited.
Fingers crossed: Jess Varnish is hyped for the Games and is full of confidence
'Everyone is asking if I am nervous, but I am so excited. Everything is going in the right direction and I am in the best place I could be so I am feeling very positive,' she says.
The 21-year-old from Worcestershire is the most promising young talent of the British Track Cycling Team with many tipping her to take over from Victoria Pendleton as the face of women’s cycling.
But there is no competition between the girls, who are the best of friends and spend a lot of time relaxing together outside of training, cooking and going to the cinema.
Her close friend Victoria wowed recently with her sexy shoot for GQ magazine, but would Jess follow in her friend's footsteps and get her clothes off for a magazine?
'Victoria looked fantastic, if someone could make me look that good I would definitely be up for it!
But Victoria is in a different place to me career-wise. I have a lot of time ahead of me.'
With Victoria competing for the last time in her career, Jess is sad to see her closest friend leave the team but maintains that they will most definitely stay in touch.
Close: Jess and Victoria have grown extremely close over their years spent training together
Jess is a product of the British Cycling Olympic Development program having been spotted as a 14 year old and has won World, European and National medals at junior level.
Hailing from a strong cycling background, Jess is the daughter of Jim Varnish, the 1985 Cycle Speedway World Champion.
The athlete is a level headed individual and popular in the Midlands region, winning the Young Sports Personality award for the past 2 years.
She is ambitious, focused and talented, and has her eyes on World titles and Gold medals at the Games.
One thing she takes extremely seriously is her training and eating regime.
She wakes early and has a packed day of training and healthy eating ahead of her.
'Obviously it has been very full-on lately so I have to be careful with what I do. I can't really go shopping and I do spend a lot of time thinking about my body.'
But the cyclist has never experienced any body image pressure, unlike Jessica Ennis who allegedly was called fat by a Games official.
'Thankfully I have never experienced anything like that. No girl wants to be called fat. Obviously I have had to change my body shape to have more potential.
Treats: Jess has packed an Ocado van full of treats to feast on for when she finishes the Games
'I was told if you don’t put on weight you’re not going to get anywhere. So I have had to put on ten kilos of muscle and for any girl to be told they’ve got to put on weight it’s not very nice. But I have been brought up well with food and I’ve always been told it’s about moderation.
'I’ve never said to myself “you’re not going to eat this” except now, from the World Championships up until the Olympics I’ve told myself “you’re not going to eat a bar of chocolate”.
'I’ll have cake and chocolate brownies but not a whole bar.
'I think people get too obsessed with it. It’s calories in, calories out, that’s all.
'I’ve got a plan of what I can eat and when. I couldn’t just have dinner and go to bed, I’ll have a big meal and then a protein shake before I go to sleep.
'I tend to have eggs at breakfast or porridge and fruit and then at 11am, a protein shake. If I am training twice in one day I will have three protein shakes and then three meals and snacks. I do eat quite a lot and my friends are quite shocked!
'There are other girls on the team who have to diet but I’ve been quite lucky.'
As soon as the Games come to an end, Jess has a feast waiting for her.
'I have now launched a series of Best of British vans for Ocado and I have filled one with lots of treats like cakes and chocolate, so I will have that waiting for me when I finish.'
Jess has teamed up with Ocado.com, designing a range of Best of British delivery vans to celebrate the summer.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2174216/If-make-look-good-Victoria-Pendleton-I-definitely-posing-naked-Cyclist-Jess-Varnish-living-Olympic-dream.html#ixzz20oN0WFgx
