Brownlee not convinced about London 2012 course

ALISTAIR Brownlee has criticised the course set to be used for the London 2012 triathlon ahead of the sixth-leg of the ITU World Championship Series in Hyde Park on Saturday.

HOME DISCOMFORTS: Alistair Brownlee leads British hopes at London leg of World Championships but is not convinced about the course

The world championship course is almost identical to that set to be used in three years time - with only the bike section of the Olympic route leaving the park and heading east towards Westminster and the Mall.

Brownlee goes into the race in second place in the overall rankings after winning the three races - Madrid, Washington DC and Kitzbuhel - he has entered so far this year.

But 2008 world champion Javier Gomez is hot on his heels in third - the Spaniard beat Brownlee to European Championship gold earlier in July - with the pair set to go head-to-head again in London.

And despite being on the verge of a unique treble - having been crowned junior world champion in 2006 and U23 world champion in 2008 - Brownlee admits the layout of the London course does not work in his favour. 

"It's not really a course that suits me - it's flat, lots of straights on the bike, it doesn't suit breakaways and it's a very flat run - it's not that interesting for the athletes," said Brownlee. 

"It was quite a while ago that I last won so it's going to be more difficult than any other race.

"It's great to have a home crowd - it's less stressful but, to be honest, travelling to London from Leeds is not that much different to travelling to Madrid or Kitzbuhel.

"I've been away from the races for the last five weeks, just training, so I've had time to collect my thoughts and get fit so I'm just looking forward to getting out there, racing and seeing how I go.

"I'm not the kind of athlete who knows exactly how I feel, I just train hard, rest up and hope I'm in good form. I should be no less fit than I was at the beginning of the season.

"Javier's getting fitter ever week so I think it's more about him getting fitter than about how fit I am."

Brownlee has enjoyed an exceptional year after finishing 12th in the Olympic triathlon in Beijing.

But the 21-year-old admits he has put 2012 glory to the back of his mind. 

"This season has been a massive surprise - every race I've surprised myself, I push myself that bit harder and have gone that bit faster," he added.

"I'm not sure how much more I can improve this year and how much I can get out of myself.

"It's just about consistency, having another winter's training, getting a year older - it's about doing a million little things right rather than a few big things.

"I don't spend a massive amount of time thinking about 2012 - it's definitely there in the back of your mind but it is three years away and that's quite a long time.

"It's more about meeting the goals I've got this year, then the year after that and hopefully if I follow the path through it'll take me to where I want to be in 2012."