The cold and the Brownlees proved too good for the Kiwis at the final ITU world championships race in Beijing today with none of the men able to crack the top eight and with it secure a place at the London Olympics.
Beijing at this time of year is meant to be 28 degrees and humid, but this morning dawned cold and damp and it didn't improve much through the day with a number of athletes struggling to retain body heat on the demanding Beijing course.
The Brownlee brothers of Great Britain had no such problems, with older brother Alistair winning in impressive fashion after an 8km running duel with brother Jonathan before surging to win comfortably. Sven Reiderer from Switzerland overtook a tiring Jonathan for second in sight of the finish line.
Ryan Sissons was the best of the Kiwis in 14th, a continuation for a strong season by the 23-year-old as his day went largely to plan but Bevan Docherty finished a disappointing 18th and with his Olympic dreams under threat.
"For a summer sport, we've certainly had some bad luck with the weather,'' the two-time Olympic medallist said. "It's a little bit frustrating, I felt good on the bike, the only problem was on the downhill I was freezing up. I pushed it on the uphill to try and keep warm but as soon as I got out on to the run I just couldn't feel my body and couldn't get into a decent rhythm. It's frustrating, but what can you do?