Kent Richardson says he is tired of settling for second best and will be looking to put matters straight in this weekend's Bank of Bermuda Individual Triathlon.

The streets of Hamilton will be buzzing with activity tomorrow when 90 athletes compete in the Bermuda Triathlon Association event - considered by many multi-sport athletes as the most important of the year.

That is certainly the opinion of veteran Richardson, the favourite for overall victory this year, who admits to feeling the pressure of the expectation that is clearly resting on his shoulders.

"This year for the first time I have felt some pressure. A couple of days ago I started feeling nervous and was thinking, what's going on here?" he said.

With his strongest disciplines being the cycle and run, the 42-year-old fitness fanatic knows that he is going to be playing a chasing game.

"I have to try and limit my losses to the stronger swimmers like Jamie Pedro and Matthew Herring, if I can keep the gap down then I know my riding is going well and I have been running so well off the bike lately."

If he plans to start the run with the likes of Pedro and 15-year-old Herring, in the half mile swim, 12 mile cycle and three mile run event he will have to rely on the type of cycling performance he displayed in last weekend's team event when he rode for the winning team overall and in the process recorded the fastest bike split of the day.

It is something he is clearly determined to do.

"I'm tired of coming second, I really want to win this event, it's like a cyclist or runner wanting to win May 24th - this is the biggest event of the year in Bermuda," he said. There will be less pressure in the women's race however with little likelihood of top triathlete Karen Smith being challenged for honours.

Smith has been forced in recent years to gauge her performances locally on her own personal best times, with her only realistic challenge racing against the top men.

Although the likelihood of an upset is slim, if there is one it could come from 14-year-old sensation Flora Duffy.

Tipping Duffy as a star of the future Smith said: "Flora has been swimming very well and I am sure in a couple of years she will be at the top, but I am confident in my strength on the bike and run, even if Flora beats me out of the water."

However, Smith is clearly not taking anything for granted.

"I always push myself as hard as I can, regardless of the competition. I won't be holding anything back," she said.

The event gets underway at 9.30 a.m. at Albouys Point and follows a Junior Ultra Sprint Duathlon at 8.30 a.m.