Alistair Brownlee has provided a post-race update after his long-awaited to return to elite racing at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside on Saturday.

The two-time Olympic Champion had been out of action since last June, when he underwent ankle surgery after giving up on his Tokyo bid following WTCS Leeds.

After several months of rehab and training the Yorkshireman was ready to return to the start line in California last weekend – and he faced a stellar field.

Brownlee passed late

Brownlee set the pace for most of the day and was still leading into the closing stages on the run, before being passed by the finishing burst of winner Jackson Laundry. He was also then passed by Lionel Sanders and Rudy Von Berg as they fought out an epic battle for second.

Next up Brownlee is scheduled to head for St George and the delayed 2021 IRONMAN World Championship on Saturday May 7, followed by that much-hyped Sub7 bid in Germany in early June.

Alistair Oceanside debrief

After having 48 hours to reflect on Saturday’s events, he took to Instagram to detail his thoughts on what happened.

“I was very happy to be on the start line for @ironmantri Oceanside. I must be a bit rusty and it felt tough from the start.

“Gave all I could, had plenty of ups and downs, and hung on for 4th place. Great racing from a lot of guys and what an iconic race.”

Brownlee’s return to action was just one of the major storylines on what proved to be an epic morning in California.

As well as that terrific finish to the men’s race, we had American prodigy Taylor Knibb destroying a high-class women’s field to back up the huge promise she had showed in 2021.

Now we are on to St George and that massive showdown in Utah in just under five weeks’ time.