Brothers in the race for glory

One day. One race. One gold medal. His date with destiny may still be two years away – but Alistair Brownlee, the triathlon world champion, knows that his career will be defined by his performance at the 2012 London Olympics.

It is the most gruelling of the Olympic disciplines – a 1,500m swim followed by a 40km bike ride and then a 10km sprint to the finish to determine the world's ultimate sporting all-rounder.

This test of endurance is also an individual sport. There are no team-mates to help carry ailing competitors over the winning line. It's man against man – or, more pertinently, elbow against elbow in the swimming skirmishes.

But the 22-year-old Yorkshireman hopes to take the sport to a new level. He is keen for his equally talented younger brother, Jonathan, to qualify for the Olympics so that they can compete as a team. It also helps that Brownlee senior's sibling is the European junior champion – and likely to mature into one of his greatest rivals over the next decade.

"There's one gold medal – so it's all about doing the best to maximise your chances," explained Alistair as he completed one of his final training sessions ahead of tomorrow's European Championships in Ireland.

The one title that eluded Alistair in his international breakthrough year of 2009 – he was a frustrating second – this will be the first senior event where the Brownlee boys compete alongside each other. The objective is clear: Jonny has to put his older brother in a position to win gold.

"I'm trying to help Al win a medal for Britain," says 20-year-old Jonny with brotherly pride. "They're five in the team and we'll see how it goes, and whether people embrace it. It's a new way – but it's all looking to the future and the Olympics.

"I'm not quite sure how it will work – the idea will probably be a fast swim, and a fast bike ride, that means he's right up at the pace for the run, where he's so strong."

The tactics are similar to those deployed in the Tour de France, and which enabled Isle of Man cyclist Mark Cavendish, whose mother comes from Harrogate, to dominate the sprint finishes in the past two years.

Housemates as well as competitors, both brothers have been reading Cavendish's autobiography in their spare time. They admire him, but conclude that he "whinges" too much.

They're more impressed by Bradley Wiggins, the track cyclist, and how he countered depression, and other family demons, en route to three Olympic gold medals.

They don't have heroes or role models. Instead, the Brownlees say they're fortunate to have inherited their family's love of the countryside and their work ethic. They know there are no short-cuts in professional sport.

There is also none of the animosity that befell other sporting brothers. Though they were World Cup winners, Bobby and Jack Charlton were fierce and unloving club rivals. And, when David and James Livingston rowed against each other in a Boat Race, the family tensions became almost unbearable.

The Brownlees recall how their father, Keith, a consultant paediatrician, and their mother, Catherine, a doctor, took them on long walks and runs around the moors of Yorkshire. It also helped that their uncle, Simon Hearnshaw, was a respected triathlete.

"My dad is pretty focused, so maybe some of the focus rubbed off," says Dewsbury-born, Horsforth-raised Alistair with characteristic modesty as his brother nods in agreement.

"When I was 12, I went to an event in Nottingham. Jumped out of the pool, onto a bike and then a run – it was really exciting. Six years later, I won the world junior championships."

Alistair admits that the sports ethos at Bradford Grammar School helped fuel his love of sport. Jonny's motivation at the same school was simple. "I just wanted to be as good as my brother."

Their careers have remarkable similarities. Both enjoyed prolific success while representing Bradford Grammar and Bingley Harriers. The list of their successes is impressively long.

They're sat around the coffee table of the modest home, at Bramhope, near Leeds that Alistair bought after winning last year's World Triathlon Series.

The walls are adorned with inspiring posters from the Beijing Olympics where he was the first Briton home in 12th place.

He's a man in demand – he's an ambassador for British sport and now finds that he juggles his training to meet the needs of sports bodies, sponsors and organisations like Welcome to Yorkshire

They've just returned from a 90-minute pool session at the John Charles Sports Centre in Leeds. Up at 6.20am, they were on the road 10 minutes later – and in the pool at 7am. Only once in the winter, when the snow brought Yorkshire to a standstill for weeks on the end, did they fail to make it.

"The roads are quiet at that time of day," says Jonny. Alistair concurs as he stifles a yawn – just thinking about their seven-day-a-week training routine, with fast swims, cycle rides and runs interspersed with lighter sessions, is exhausting.

Today's a quieter day. Their session involved not just swimming lengths, though they clocked up several kilometres in the water. It saw Alistair swimming directly behind his brother so he does not have to power through the more choppy water. The key, he says, is to be as close as possible to Jonny's feet without being kicked in the head. It could, he insists, improve his performance by 10 per cent – the difference between winning and losing a triathlon.

As they look out of the window, they see that the rain clouds have opened. It would deter many – but not Alistair and Jonny who know that they cannot put off a "gentle" 90-minute bike ride.

"This is an easy day – but it's better than doing nothing," says Alistair as they pore over Ordnance Survey maps to plot a route that takes in a climb up to the rugged Almscliffe Crag.

Again, Jonny will act as pacesetter, with Alistair in his slipstream. "My time will come – I'm very happy with the role," says Jonny as the pair, sponsored by British Telecom, walk into their garage and make adjustments to their racing bikes.

There's no shortage to choose from – at least 12 hang from the wall. There are even more pairs of trainers and sports gear. Cycling is the one discipline where competitors need luck. "One puncture and your race is over," says Alistair. "I had to ride three kilometres in a race on a flat tyre to the wheel change station."

Jonny reckons he can change a tyre in 10 seconds. His brother is more cautious. "A bit longer." You can tell they will have a competition at some point. Their training partner, Steve Worthington, reveals that it is a very competitive household – "who can get the washing off the line quickest – that kind of stuff", he said. "But always in the best of spirits."

As they cycle off, and crank the highest of the 20 gears into action, they're already generating considerable speed. They look slightly-built young men – but it is soon clear that they're phenomenally powerful while being naturally supple. There is also a smoothness to their cycling. I thought this was a "gentle" ride. "It is," says Alistair as the brothers hurtle up a hill without breaking a sweat. Their day did not end here. After lunch, there was still the small matter of a 60-minute run. "A leg stretch," says Jonny.

They're clearly content in each other's company; best friends rather than the stereotypical bickering brothers. It also helps, they say, that they have other interests.

Having dropped out of Cambridge University, where he was studying medicine, to pursue his sporting career, Alistair – having obtained a degree in sports science – is now studying for a Masters degree in finance.

"It will be useful," he says.

His brother, in the meantime, is reading history at Leeds University. Their younger brother, Edward, 14, prefers rugby and cricket. It is little wonder that both triathletes list "sleeping" as a hobby.

"The start-line, the pre-race nerves, the tension before the gun goes – I enjoy it," says Alistair. "I have always loved running – the sense of freedom. You throw your shoes on and you are out of the door."

Jonny concurs. Swimming is their least favourite. "It's inside and it's boring," he says. Alistair smiles in agreement before adding: "I love swimming outdoors – but it's not advisable. The Wharfe is fine but you wouldn't want to go in the Aire."

Both agree that running is their biggest strength, before Jonny adds: "Alistair's weakness is that he is sometimes too aggressive."

Alistair laughs. He recalls that he was very competitive in school cross-country races. He denies a former class-mate's anecdote about the time a competitor was pushed out of the way. "I don't think so," he adds unconvincingly.

It's one reason why Team Brownlee is a work in process – the aim, says Alistair, is to jump off the bike and begin the run with just two or three competitors posing major threats in the running and that he has conserved enough energy to burn them off. "That's what we've got to aim for."

He's already experienced the exhilaration of winning a triathlon in London – one of the five world series events he won last year – and says he was "thrilled" by the experience of winning on home soil.

Both know that the London Olympics will be 10-times bigger, with the swimming taking place in the Serpentine in Hyde Park before the cycling and running circuits take in the sights of the capital.

With up to half-a-million people lining the streets, the power of the television images could, easily, see triathlon become one of the country's most popular sports – just like marathon running became fashionable 30 years ago. They hope they can be triathlon pioneers and inspire people.

Neither looks too far ahead. Injuries also play a part – a stress fracture in his thigh saw Alistair unable to defend his world title this year, though he marked his comeback with a spectacular and unexpected win in Madrid recently that he described as the "proudest" of his career.

"There is a long to way to go, almost three full seasons, but you're aware that it is the ultimate goal. It is a very individual sport – but the team dynamic is even more important. You're not just racing for yourself, but your home city, your sponsors and to get more UK Sport funding that enables us to train as professionals.

"In the last Olympics, Canada had one guy whose role was to help one team member on the cycle, chase down breakaways and provide some draught cover so Simon Whitfield, their main man, had a medal chance – and he won silver. It's about maximising the chance to win the race, even if it means a team-mate like Jonny sacrificing his own chances."

Jonny agrees. The best he's hoping for at the European Championships is a top-10 finish. "It will be worth it if Al wins," he adds.

There's no complacency from his brother as the voice of experience kicks in. "It's in Jonny's interests to prove that a team role can work. It makes it more likely that he will be selected as he looks to gain more experience. It will be a big advantage.

"That's why it is so important that we train together, know what makes each other tick. It's all about doing the best for the British team."

If Alistair Brownlee fulfils his potential and wins Olympic gold it will also be a great family story. For it won't have been possible without his younger brother, Jonny, pushing him all the way to a gold medal and a place in history.

FIVE OTHER SPORTING SIBLINGS

Gary and Phil Neville – long-standing England and Manchester United team-mates before the latter joined Everton.

Serena and Venus Williams – sisters and Grand Slam-winning tennis rivals.

Richard and Michael Hills – twins who are top Flat racing jockeys.

Sam and Luke Burgess – rugby league stars from Yorkshire. Their younger twin brothers, Tom and George, also play.

David and James Livingston – on opposing sides in the Boat Race.

YP MAG 3/7/10