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The sedate, refined charms of world class golf will give way to the all-action competition of the gruelling Escape to Bermuda triathlon, as the island prepares to host its second international competition of the week.

It's hard to imagine two more different events or two more different competitors in the world of sport than burly cigar-puffing Grand Slam winner Angel Cabrera - who admits he has never worked out in his life - and ironman Andy Potts, who trains roughly 30-hours-a-week and is the favourite for Sunday's race.

But while Potts and his rivals may not have the same 'name recognition' as the likes of Cabrera and Jim Furyk, they are without question the elite of their sport.

And race director Neil De Ste Croix hopes the event - another 'sports tourism' initiative - will have the same impact as the hugely successful Grand Slam did earlier in the week.

"October seems to be becoming 'sports month'. We've got all these great international events and this is another one."

De Ste Croix expects thousands to line the streets as the island is transformed into a race course. The 200-plus triathletes will be dropped from Fast Ferries a mile-off Dockyard at 7:30am Sunday morning. They will complete the one-mile swim to the west end, before biking 24 miles to Ordnance Island in St. George, where they'll ditch their bikes to complete two circuits of town cut before finishing in St. George's Square.

A special ferry, leaving Hamilton at 6am, will take die-hard spectators to Dockyard to watch the opening of the race while further ferries have been put on from Dockyard to St George at 8.15am and 10.15am to allow spectators to see the finish.

"It's different. It's never been done before. There's a lot of interest in it. The island is the race course. I think people will come out and watch in their own neighbourhoods, like May 24, and we'll see a big crowd in St George for the finish."

As well as Potts, who won this year's Escape from Alcatraz series, the main contenders in the men's event will be Matty 'Boom Boom' Reed, last year's Alcatraz winner, Aussie Olympian Simon Thompson, Brian Fleischman and French star Benjamin Sanson.

In the women's event last year's Alcatraz winner, the seemingly unstoppable Becky Lavelle, two-time world champ - veteran Karen Smyers are expected to be the main contenders.

More details at www.escapetobermudatriathlon.com.

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