They savoured individual triathlon glory last week and tomorrow will tell if the Naude twins can translate that ? with the help of a friend ? into team success.

The pair of Riaan and Evan are joining with John Legge for the Bank of Bermuda Foundation Team Triathlon and are, understandably, among the favourites in the event at Albuoy?s Point in Hamilton.

?We have a pretty good team. John Legge is going to do our swim. He is from the UK and he used to swim competitively.

?I?m going to do the bike leg and Evan is going to do the run. I?m a bit stronger than Evan on the bike and he is a bit stronger than me on the run. That?s why we decided to do it that way,? outlined 28-year-old Riaan.

?Triathlon is an individual sport but it?s always good to compete as a team when you get a chance. It?s a different dimension. We?re looking forward to it.?

Last Sunday he and his brother finished second and third behind Tyler Butterfield in the individual segment of this series. Apart from Monday ? when they took a break to recover ? the South African expatriates have trained hard this week ? and are quietly confident about their chances but they are not underestimating their rivals.

?Obviously you?ve got all the strong swimmers and top cyclists and runners coming out and teaming up but I think we have a good chance of winning,? said Riaan, singling out the trio of Trevor Johnston (swimmer), Kent Richardson (cyclist) and Mark Morrison (runner) as the most dangerous opposition.

?That?s the main competition. We will be watching out for them.?

Another team that could challenge for top billing is the union of Nick Strong, Khamari Greaves and Coyatito Smith. The latter placed fourth last weekend and at just age 17 is among the Island?s up and coming triathlon bright lights.

The competitive spirit should be just as keen among the women with the likes of individual women?s champion Karen Smith combining with cyclist Julia Hawley ? the runner-up to Smith last week ? and swimmer Hayley Hill.

Their stiffest opposition could well be the threesome of Rebecca Sharpe, Melanie Claude and Anna Eatherley while the McMullen sisters, Kim (runner) and Deanna (cyclist), have joined forces with Amanda Petty (swimmer). Chelsea Burns, Linda Down and Joanna Shillington are another of the women?s teams.

?I think our chances are pretty good. Neither Jules (Julia) or I are in top form but we hope to be competitive against the other women?s teams.

?I don?t know if we will have a real big advantage from having done it last week. It?s a pretty simple course. It?s not like there are hills or anything tricky in there,? said Smith who is building towards the triathlon national championships next month and getting in good base work in for the 2005 season.

The team triathlon will consist of a one-mile swim, 15-mile bike and six-mile run while the junior team duathlon, competed in various age groups from seven to 14, will be held over different distances according to age.

The seven to ten-year-olds will do a half-mile run, a two-and-a-half mile bike and another half-mile run. Teams with competitors aged 11-14 will tackle a mile run, a five-mile bike and another mile run.

More teams have entered in both the triathlon and duathlon than last year when there were 43 teams in either division. This year there are 48 triathlon teams and nearly 60 in the duathlon.