Search
shop

Fourth ETU European Championship Elite title for Alistair Brownlee

Chief Correspondent
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

A couple of weeks ago I said of Alistair Brownlee’s route to this coming weekend’s AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds, his planned Cagliari ITU World Cup / ETU Champs double represented fine race planning. Away from the draft-legal side of the sport for a while, that schedule looks even better now after back-to-back wins, the latest at the Weert ETU Triathlon European Championships on Saturday.

Have no doubt, racing in Leeds this coming weekend at WTS level represents a significant step up in terms of depth of field, but a fit, healthy and confident Alistair Brownlee – on home soil – will still provide a stern test for anyone on Sunday. I can’t wait to be there in person to watch it all.

(CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT BETH POTTER’S ELITE WOMEN’S GOLD)


Alistair Brownlee dominates in Holland

Double Olympic gold medallist, Brownlee, banked his fourth ETU Triathlon European Championship title in the Dutch city of Weert on Saturday, cementing his return to form with back-to-back wins on the international circuit.

Following a solid swim, the 31-year-old led a hard-working bike pack of seven including fellow Brit, Ben Dijkstra. Despite losing a few seconds in T2, Brownlee quickly returned to the front and was soon heading up a four-man breakaway, including Belgium’s Marten Van Riel. Stamping his authority over the field, Brownlee pushed ahead, creating a 12-second gap by the end of lap one, which only increased as the race progressed. Eventual silver medallist, Joao Pereira clocked comfortably the quickest run leg of the day to claw back much needed time after falling behind with the chase bike pack, however it wasn’t enough to catch the Brit who crossed the line 22 seconds clear.

Alistair Brownlee - Weert ETU Triathlon European Championships 2019
Photo Credit: ETU Triathlon

“I was really happy to be on the start line at the European Championships. I knew my form was good after racing in Italy a few weeks ago. The swim went well – I was out second or third in the end. I then pushed really hard on the bike to break the field up and, even though we worked very hard, we didn’t get a gap until the last few laps. The run felt ok – I had to hold off a fast running Joao Pereira, but with a couple of km to go, I knew I’d won and was able to ease off a little bit and think about next week (AJ Bell World Triathlon Leeds). I’m absolutely delighted to be winning races again after a bit of time out.”

Weert ETU Triathlon European Championships – Saturday 1st June 2019

ELITE MEN
1.5km / 37.8km / 9.9km

1st – Alistair Brownlee (GBR) – 1:35:01
2nd – Joao Pereira (POR) – 1:35:23
3rd – Jelle Geens (BEL) – 1:35:56

5th – Barclay Izzard (GBR) – 1:36:06
24th – Calum Johnson (GBR) – 1:38:39
38th – Ben Dijkstra (GBR) – 1:42:28

JUNIOR MEN
750m / 18.6km / 5km

1st – Paul Georgenthum (FRA) – 49:04
2nd – Boris Pierre (FRA) – 49:07
3rd – Ricardo Batista (POR) – 49:07

13th – Oliver Makinson (GBR) – 49:57
21st – Calum Young (GBR) – 50:41
55th – Tobu Osman (GBR) – 54:17
DNF – Marcus Dey (GBR)

John Levison
Written by
John Levison
TRI247's Chief Correspondent, John has been involved in triathlon for well over 30 years, 15 of those writing on these pages, whilst he can also be found commentating for events across the UK.
Discover more
TRI247 podcast p/b Challenge Family episode 2
Go behind the scenes at Challenge Roth with the latest episode of the TRI247 podcast
Cadomotus Chronos triathlon cycling shoes
The triathlon cycling shoe that promises a 10-watt saving: Cadomotus Chronos Aero triathlon cycling shoes review
Challenge Family Roth
Five things you need to know about the Challenge Roth bike course
Challenge St. Pölten 2024 - image credit Jose Luis Hourcade / Challenge Family
Expert swim coach on the three most common swim mistakes age group triathletes make (and how to fix them!)
TRI-FIT VANGUARD tri suit review
The entry-level tri suit with a serious amount of performance for the price point – TRI-FIT VANGUARD review
latest News
Joe Skipper finished fifth at Challenge Roth 2023
Challenge Roth 2025: Triathlon star Joe Skipper comes back from the brink for another shot at iconic race
ironman hamburg 2025 podium laura philipp kat matthews solveig lovseth beer
Challenge Roth 2025: Laura Philipp backed to make triathlon history by crashing through magical time barrier
Challenge Roth press conference 2025
Challenge Roth 2025: Date, start times, how to watch live and who’s racing
Georgia Taylor Brown wins supertri Toulouse 2024
British Olympic legend Georgia Taylor-Brown to make triathlon return
Gwen Jorgensen reflective World Triathlon Cup Vina del Mer 2023
‘Unbreakable’ Gwen Jorgensen ‘bruised’ after bike crash but vows to bounce back
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

Share to...