Olympians Tyler Smith and Erica Hawley are excited to race in the Cambridge Beaches Triathlon tomorrow.

Smith, who is on the island recuperating from injury, has opted to do the 20km bike ride as part of a team relay with his parents.

He is using the race to fine tune for the Elite Caribbean Cycling Championships, which take place from next Friday to Sunday in Guyana.

“I’m looking forward to competing in the Cambridge Beaches Triathlon with the two people that got me into the sport, my parents,’’ Smith told The Royal Gazette.

“I’m happy to be still able to do a relay event to allow my wrist and Achilles to continue recovering.

“It’s also going to be a good tune-up for me before the Caribbean Cycling Championships. I’ll be doing the bike leg, where I can do a hard 20km and see where my legs are before going to Guyana next week with the Bermuda cycling team.”

Hawley arrived in Bermuda yesterday to do all three disciplines in the women’s race. It will be the first time that the 26-year-old will be racing on the island since the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Series Bermuda, where she crashed out on the bike leg.

“It's always special to race at home and be in front of a home crowd no matter the level of race,’’ Hawley said.

“The last triathlon I did here was the 2022 WTCS Bermuda race where I unfortunately crashed.

“That race was very different to this one but I am still very excited for the chance to compete at home in front of friends and family.

“Being a part of the community in Bermuda is important to me. I normally don't get chances to come and race at home so I will be soaking that up on race day.

“My expectations are to have fun and, hopefully, have a good race. This is my first time racing at Cambridge Beaches and it's always exciting being on a new course and venue.

“I am very thankful to Cambridge Beaches for this opportunity to race at home and for the hotel stay, and for hosting the second edition of this triathlon.

“In terms of competition, I heard there are over 100 people registered and lots of people coming from overseas so we will see how the race plays out.”

Hawley has taken some time to unwind after her maiden appearance at the Olympics and tomorrow will be her first race since Paris.

“I still can't believe the Olympics were three months ago, time seems to have flown,’’ she said.

“This will be my first race back since then. I have really taken this time to spend time with friends, try new things and explore the mountains.

“The last two years qualifying for Paris were pretty intense. Travelling the world, training and all that came with it, so I am fully absorbing the Olympics experience and returning to full-time training.”

Bermuda Triathlon Association president Steven Petty is delighted to have Hawley and Smith for the second edition of the sprint-distance event.

“We are happy to have our Olympians Erica Hawley and Tyler Smith for the Cambridge Beaches Triathlon,’’ Petty said.

“Cambridge Beaches have offered Erica accommodation as part of the incentive. Tyler Smith is already on the island and he’s doing a team event since he’s still nursing an injury. He is cycling, his father, Aaron, is swimming and his mother, Karen, is running.

“We invited Flora Duffy to also come down for this event but she has a lot on her plate. She is busy preparing for the final of the T100 in Dubai, so she couldn’t make it.”

Hawley, who has been training in Boulder, Colorado, since she finished 41st at the Paris Olympics, should face good competition from Maddie Durkin and Fenella Wightman.

Seventeen-year-old Wightman goes into tomorrow’s race after doing well at the World Triathlon Age-Group Championships in Torremolinos, Spain, where she finished 22nd in the 16-19 female sprint.

Christine Dailey, the winner of the inaugural edition’s women competition, who competed in last Sunday’s Toronto Half-Marathon, is not defending her title.

In the senior men’s race, the competition is between Jackson Langley, the defending champion, Will Green, Oliver Hayward and Jake Smith.

Sixteen-year-old Hayward is coming off an impressive display in Spain, where he finished eighth in the 16-19 male sprint.

“Having trained hard these past few months for my recent race abroad, I am really looking forward to getting out on the course at Cambridge Beaches on Sunday,” Hayward said.

“It’s an opportunity to test myself on a familiar course. It will be a great way to finish off the racing season.”

Jamie Bedford, one of Bermuda’s most promising triathletes, is skipping the race because of a suspected concussion.

The 18-year-old slipped and fell while coming off the water in Spain. He continued and finished the competition in 41st place.

Kevin Ronaldson, who recently completed an Ironman 70.3 in Greece, should also add some competitiveness to the men’s race.

In the boys 11-15 race, Dylan Eiselt and Sanchez Smith are the ones to look out for. For the same age group in the girls, the competition is strong, with Naomi MacGuinness, Sofia Leclerc, Kelise Wade and Ella Shepherd fighting to be crowned champion.

MacGuinness, Leclerc, Wade and Shepherd were part of Bermuda’s team for this year’s Carifta Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships in Barbados.

There is also a 7-10 race for the girls and the boys, with Try-a-Tri on offer for those new to the sport.

Ahead of the close of registration last night, 167 competitors had registered, which is an increase from last year’s 107.

“We have 40 overseas entries from the United States,” Petty said. “These are adults who are coming for a weekend at Cambridge Beaches.

“From a tourism point of view, it’s great to have these overseas competitors. The sponsors are Cambridge Beaches, Butterfield & Vallis and the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

“The idea of the main sponsor, Cambridge Beaches, is to make this a tourism initiative as well.”