Report from Paul Groves who is commentating in Carlsbad.

The Junior Men were due off at 18:00 - just when the heavens opened and the rain came down in torrents. There was no real advantage to where you stood at the swim start and it was the German athlete, Steffen JUSTUS who led the swim. He won last year at Stein and was wearing No 1.

He led the first section of the bike too but that lead was soon eaten into by the chase pack of 20 or so. The roads were treacherous with many sections of cobbles and there was much concern for the youngsters as we saw seasoned athletes crash out in the qualification heats yesterday.

The Juniors had the same awful hills to negotiate. Three laps with a killing 100m climb over a 500m stretch of cobbles. The lead pack was soon down to 17 and we were pleased to see Dan HAYES sitting in there. Our other hopes, Stuart ASHLEY and Frazer CARTMELL were off the pace but coping.

As the cycle section ended it was clear to see that the 8-strong German team had not done enough to place their 2000 European Champion in an unassailable place and it was the Swiss athlete, Sven RIEDERER who took off first on the 5k run.

If the cycle course was tough then the same had to be said for the run course with two laps of hilly roads around the centre of the town. The crowds were out in force despite the weather and the athletes were cheered around the laps.

A great GBR contingent were there, GB Tracksuits clearly visible and they were there to cheer Dan along as he climbed up the placings. The eventual winner was going to be from either Switzerland or France as RIEDERE was joined by the French Sylvain SUDIRIE. A final surge for the line secured the title for the Swiss with Dan improving on his performance in Stein by 10 places and moving from 15th best to a truly well-deserved 5th place. This also means that he has qualified for the Worlds in Edmonton as well.

Stuart ASHLEY DNF on the cycle.