One of Britain’s top triathletes is linking up with his arch rival for Olympic gold to form a pop band, 220 Triathlon can reveal.
Tokyo silver and bronze medallists in the individual race GB’s Alex Yee and New Zealand's Hayden Wilde are swapping the spandex for sequins and joining forces to launch Yee-Ha!, with a series of live performances and a studio album set for release this autumn.
“Yee-Ha! sounds like a country music band, but actually the boys will be playing an eclectic mix of classic pop bangers,” said a source. “Hayden wanted the band to be called The Wild Things. But Alex’s agent vetoed it.”
Paris intentions
With both Yee and WIlde being beaten to the top of the podium in the Tokyo Olympics by Norway’s Kristian Blummenfelt, the first single up for release will be a reworking of Gold by Spandau Ballet – leaving listeners in no doubt as to where their intentions lie for Paris next year.
“There are some powerful lyrics in that song such as: ‘Always believe in your soul’” the source continued. “In the final kilometre along the banks of the Seine river at the Olympics next summer, they’ll both need to have the power to know that they’re indestructible.”
Other than letting their hair down with some early-evening karaoke after the season-ending Grand Final, professional triathletes aren’t known for their rock ‘n roll lifestyle. But noises from the Yee-Ha! camp suggest rehearsals are going well.
They remind us a lot of a young George Michael and Andrew Ridgley and they both landed on the tri scene with a wham
Great buddies
A source said: “Alex’s voice is as silky smooth as his running style, while Hayden sounds like former Eagles’ frontman Glenn Frey. Although his nickname is the Falcon. Alex was in the Eagles, of course, but that was Super League, where Hayden was a Shark. It’s a bit confusing.”
Despite some aggro on the racecourse – Wilde’s aggressive tactics on the bike led to a crash in last year's World Series in Leeds that took out both Yee and GB team-mate Jonny Brownlee – the two Olympic medallists have long been great buddies off it.
That was evident in last season’s WTCS race in Yokohama when in the heat of battle over 10km Yee took a sip from a water bottle and then offered it to his chum. Now it seems they’ll be passing the microphone instead.
Unlike football, which has witnessed some classic collaborations such as Chris Waddle and Glenn Hoddle teaming up for the smashit duet Diamond Lights, and Paul Gascoigne enjoying a cameo with Lindisfarne on Fog On The Tyne, triathlon’s stars have rarely mixed in showbiz circles.
Scotland’s multiple off-road triathlon world champion Lesley Paterson recently found fame in the arts world when she picked up a BAFTA for her magnum opus war epic All Quiet On The Western Front.
Fresh-faced talent
But there hasn’t been any successful chart acts from the sport unless Jennifer Lopez having allegedly once done a triathlon in California counts. Building on the connection, it’s rumoured Yee-Ha! may cover Jenny From The Block as Alex From The Brockley given Yee’s south east London roots.
A source continued: “We’ve not seen fresh-faced talent like Alex and Hayden in the sport of triathlon for years. They remind us a lot of a young George Michael and Andrew Ridgley and they both landed on the tri scene with a wham. A version of Club Tri-picana could be in the offing, perhaps?!”
Another source said: “Forget carbon shoes. From now on it’s all about platinum discs.”
A top 10 of tri-related covers Yee-Ha! could record for the album include:
Gold - Spandau Ballet
I Love Paris - Ella Fitzgerald
Blue Velvet (Carpet) - Bobby Vinton
The Ballad of John and Yoko(hama WTCS)
The Wild Boys - Duran Duran
I Want to Ride My Bicycle - Queen
Swimming Pools - Kendrick Lamar
Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
Golden Brown(lee) - The Stranglers
Yeedom! - George Michael
Top image credit: Janos Schmidt/World Triathlon
