As hills go, it really doesn't amount to much.

But like a mountain rising out of the desert, Corkscrew Hill somehow looms as an intimidating obstacle for the warriors set to compete in Sunday's ITU World Cup Triathlon in Hamilton.

Too steep to warrant drafting, too short to benefit climbers, too narrow for groups and too sharp a turn for racers, it is the most significant change to an event that is full of them.

As the world's top triathletes began arriving on the Island on Wednesday, they were quick to either inquire about the Olympic-distance course or take a run through it themselves. And it all came back to the 40-kilometre cycle.

"Every time I mention Corkscrew Hill, everybody cringes, so I'm not sure I even want to see it,'' said defending champion Emma Carney, merely the world's top-ranked woman and winner of four of the first seven ITU races this year.

Dutchman Eric van der Linden loves hills, winning his only race last month in Embrun, France, on a course that featured a five-kilometre climb. But Corkscrew Hill is about one-tenth of that, which is precisely the point: No one quite knows who it will or will not help.

"Any time you add a hill to a course is a good thing,'' noted Greg Bennett, an Australian ranked number two in the world among men. "When I had my only win (June 30) in Monte Carlo, it had a hill on (the cycle), so personally I'm happy to have it.'' The other changes likely won't matter as much to the athletes as they will for spectators, who will have better access and vantage points now that the transition area has been moved to Number One Shed from Albuoy's Point.

"More security and more room,'' said race director Sutherland Madeiros, explaining that athletes will now be able to swing freely through the transition area more freely. Likewise, spectators will be able to watch various parts of the race without wandering into the path of triathletes -- or each other.

The swim, still 1.5 kilometres in Hamilton Harbour, now consists of two 750-metre loops directly off the Front Street steps, instead of Albuoy's Point. And the 10-kilometre run to end the race will take competitors further along Front Street -- to Lane Hill -- five times, instead of last year's nine laps of a shorter distance.

In between, of course, lies the nine laps on the bike, including the trek up Corkscrew Hill -- unique in itself because the road is one-way going down the other 364 days of the year.

That was something van der Linden and Belgian rookie sensation Mieke Suys quickly found out when they went for bike ride on Wednesday.

Why the change? "It was too flat,'' Madeiros says simply. "Maybe this will help break up the pack a bit.'' It should. After making the sharp right turn from Woodbourne Avenue on to Front Street, cyclists will barely reach their top speed again when they'll face an even more difficult left turn on Corkscrew Hill.

The narrow road barely has room enough for six cyclists abreast and race officials will make it even tighter on the corner, coning it off so that maybe two riders will be able to turn up simultaneously, Madeiros said.

If they can survive the steep grade, there's relief at the top in the form of a two-kilometre sprint along Cavendish Road/Reid Street to Queen.

"It's going to be a fast event,'' said Madeiros. "I think it's a great three-factor race.'' One other change that will matter only to athletes -- and perhaps sponsors such as Ace Insurance and Bermuda Commercial Bank: Prize money is up to $85,000, a 20 percent hike from a year ago.

And unlike last year, men and women are racing separately, the former at 8 a.m., the latter at 10.30 a.m. Inbetween, top Bermuda juniors will compete in a duathlon.