Alistair Brownlee returns to action this weekend… in a gravel race in Scotland.

The two-time Olympic champion has been on the triathlon sidelines since the PTO European Open in Ibiza, where he finished sixth.

But he underwent successful surgery on his right ankle in July and said then: “It’s also a big relief that we’ve successfully removed something that has caused me so many issues.

“Time to rest up and recover. I’m optimistically hoping the recovery will be quick and I’ll be able to compete before the end of the year.”

Track record

So the news that he’s fit to compete in the three-day Raiders Gravel event at Gatehouse of Fleet in the south of Scotland has to be an encouraging sign.

It’s on some of the same trails that were used for the first UCI Gravel World Series event ever hosted in Britain back in May when Brownlee was right in the mix before mechanical issues slowed his progress.

And he’s no stranger to gravel racing success, having claimed his age-group title at the British Gravel Championships in 2021 – and in off-road terms he won his first-ever XTERRA event at Weston Park, Staffordshire earlier this year. 

Back on the bike

Writing on Instagram, he said: “Really excited to get stuck into some gravel racing this weekend.

“It’s been good to be back on the bike and I’m looking forward to 3 stages of gravel racing over the next 3 days.”

He faces a predominantly British field and we’ll report on how he fared afterwards.

Brownlee’s injury meant he misses out on the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice on 10 September but there are plenty more middle and full-distance racing opportunities between now and the end of the year.