Alistair Brownlee may be retired now but he is still out there running, cycling and swimming on a regular basis.
And there are few triathletes better placed to pass on their knowledge than the double Olympic champion, who is widely regarded as one of the best the sport has ever seen.
So when Brownlee speaks, people listen. And in his latest Instagram post the 37-year-old picked out the most British thing ever as his essential tip for recovery after an event – a cup of tea.
“It’s about recovery”
Proud Yorkshireman Brownlee said: “Just back from a long ride this morning. Now it’s about recovery. For me, it’s a combination of hydration – water and electrolytes – replenishing the glycogen stores, and protein.
“Normally I would have a cup of tea. And some kind of high-protein meal as quickly as possibly after training. Chicken. Fish-based. If that isn’t available I would have a protein recovery product… and milk.”
This is not the first time Brownlee has talked tea. Before hanging up his boots, he took his tea-making deadly serious during Covid lockdown.
He told www.olympics.com: “I think everything to having really hot water to drinking from the right type of China cups to the temperature of the milk – there’s lots of things that go into it. It’s a hard skill to master, but I’m working on it at the moment.”
Tea couriers
And he also starred in a tongue-in-cheek TV advert for Yorkshire Tea with his illustrious brother Jonny back in 2017, where the pair acted as “tea couriers.”
Since announcing his retirement in November last year, Alistair has had more time to focus on his love of a cuppa – but is still involved in triathlon after the siblings launched Brownlee Racing in Supertri.
Last month the team, which supports the Brownlee Foundation, signed up British triathlon icon Tim Don as their new manager, poaching him from Podium Racing for the 2025 season and beyond and made a sensational start by winning the opening two races.
