Brothers united in mission to capture London Olympics glory

However you look at the Brownlee brothers – as a world and European champion in Alistair or a world sprint king in Jonny – it is hard not to see them as a devastating partnership ready to change the face of triathlon.

For the world’s No 1 and No 2 are poised to play their part in one of the great stories of next year’s London Olympics. Brothers in arms, racing towards the top and second step of the medal podium in front of their adoring home fans.

Of more immediate concern to the world-class athletes trying to beat them, is how do you stop the Brownlee juggernaut?

The art of combining the swim, cycle and run has long been held as an individual pursuit; after all the sport’s ultimate race is known as the Ironman challenge, not Ironmen.

But ever since Alistair burst onto the senior scene with a credible 12th-place finish at the Beijing Olympics and Jonny watched on as part of the Great Britain development squad, the Brownlees of Leeds have gone about rewriting the triathlon rule book.

First through their achievements, and now through their variety of tactics, Alistair, 23, and Jonny, 21, are the sport’s dominant duo.

Alistair won the world title in 2009 and the European crown in 2010 before winning both this year.

Hot on his heels in both the continental race and the seven-stop world series was Jonny, who has two silver medals on the mantlepiece of their Bramhope home to go with the sprint and team world titles he also won in 2011.

What troubles their opponents – in particular the leading contender, Spain’s Javier Gomez – is they do not know whether to treat the Brownlees as individuals or as a team.

Just to heighten the uncertainty, the Brownlees plan to keep them guessing right up until they dive into Hyde Park’s Serpentine for the Olympic men’s triathlon on August 7, 2012.

“You cannot really plan in triathlon, too much can happen,” said Alistair.

“We won’t be sitting down for the next whatever it is, 250 days, trying to plan every potential outcome of the Olympics.

“The key is to be flexible, know how each other wants to race, be aware of each other, and just use our heads.”

They showed that versatility in the London test event in August, when Alistair burst off the front of the bike race and created a 10-minute gap that Jonny closed as he sprinted off the bunch in the 10k run to finish third.

Jonny reflected: “It wasn’t a plan we worked on beforehand, we don’t go into a race with a set plan, that’s the way we work.

“Alistair seized the moment that day.

“He wouldn’t normally do that but he went for it and took it.

“I had to rethink my plan and that’s what racing is all about.”

Alistair continued: “We know what we both want to achieve. I knew when I was in that group (London) that if I can get away from the pack then I’m the fastest runner.

“I knew Jonny could control the pack which meant he didn’t have to work too hard and I didn’t have to either.

“So that was an opportunity we took. You’re always thinking of how you can combine that to make it work together.”

The Brownlees commenced their winter training last week, following a month of sponsorship duties that culminated in a morning with autistic children at the Robert Ogden School in Thurnscoe, Barnsley.

Typically, the disarming brothers looked as comfortable teaching young children sporting drills as they do slicing through a triathlon field in a world final.

In preparation for the most important year of their lives the aim is to keep training as routine and as intense as ever.

They train side by side for an average of 35 hours a week, predominantly in the moors close to the home they share in north Leeds.

With a sprinkling of warm weather training camps to fit in, they hope to hit the ground running in San Diego in May for the second leg of the 2012 World Series.

Proud though they are of their world status, justifying the pressure on them as favourites at the Olympics is their mission for next summer.

“I’ve had that pressure for quite a few races now and I’ve had a chance to get used to it,” said Alistair.

“It is different turning up at a race and everyone looking at you as the favourite to make a move, rather than someone who can go and gamble on a tactic and it not work and it not matter.

“It takes a bit of time to get used to that but hopefully I can deal with it now and all I’ve learned this year is good experience for next year.”

For all the growing pressure Alistair has to shoulder, the spotlight does not shine so brightly on Jonny.

Sprint champion and second in the world series took a while to sink in for a young man who also has a dissertation to write before April, but now it has, he can focus on not only supporting his brother, but trying to beat him as well.

“I’m closing the gap a little bit,” says Jonny.

“Whenever I think I’ve closed the gap, though, Alistair will have a lot better race than me. At the Euros this year, Alistair got punched and still beat me.

“I had a very good winter of training whereas Alistair’s was a lot more broken, so the gap closed a little as I could train a lot more than him.

“And then there’s races when Alistair absolutely destroys me. Plus the sprint is different to the Olympic distance, because it’s a lot shorter and Alistair didn’t have the best of days then either, so we’ll wait and see what happens next year.

“We went into the final leg of the world series as No 1 and No 2 so when you go into the Grand Final and consolidate it’s not a case of ‘wow what a great experience’. It’s more a case of just being glad you did what you had to do.

“Now, though, we’ve realised what a good achievement it was for both of us, especially in a long season in a sport where a lot can go wrong. We were both consistent and had a really good year.”

The Brownlees were speaking at the Robert Ogden School Autistic Society, in Thurnscoe, Barnsley.

Brownlees’ road to the games

Oct/Nov 2011 – 35-hour a week training schedule begins.

Dec/Jan 2011/12 – training in Yorkshire broken up by warm-weather training camps.

May 2012 – first major triathlon of season, the San Diego leg of the ITU World Series.

June 2012 – The majorityy of the month will be spent at a GB training camp in Switzerland.

July 2012 – Final preparations and races ahead of the big one.

August 7, 2012 – The Olympic Men’s Triathlon in Hyde Park, London.