An ETU press release confirms Leanda Cave (GBR) and Dmitry Gaag (KAZ) as the leaders of the 2001 European triathlon tour after winning yesterday's first stage held in Sao Miguel, the biggest of the nine tropical islands composing Azores. The race was a sprint distance of 750m, 20k and 5k. In the women's race, Germany's Anja Heil emerged from the chilly (15C,) water in the lead (9:16), ahead of Cave, Lucie Zelenkova (CZE), and Nina Anisimova (RUS). The Russian was immediately dropped on the bike and the trio started the run with a comfortable 30s margin over a second group including Anisimova, compatriot Olga Generalova, and Australia's Tracy Hargreaves. Surprisingly, Heil was not able to drop her mates on the run, and it was Cave who finally made the decisive move in the second lap (17:55, fastest female run split) to win in 59:33, ahead of Heil and Zelenkova.

In the men's race Gaag was 7th after the swim (8:50) behind Spaniard Raul Cordoba (8:33), Csaba Kuttor (HUN), Jarmo Hast (FIN), Nicolas Becker (FRA), Duarte Marquez (POR) and Frederik Van Lierde (BEL). Gaag cruised during the bike to take a commanding lead as soon as the run started. The surprise came from Germany's Falk Cierpinski, new to the elite triathlon ranks (previous European junior duathlon champion and son of the 1976 Montreal marathon Olympic champion), who came from behind and aggressively attacked Gaag in the second lap. But Gaag pulled away in the last straight to win in 53:44, 5s ahead of a deserving Cierpinski (15:33, second fastest run) and 12s ahead of a great Kuttor (15:34, third run split). Simon Kennedy placed 24th in 57:30.

Full results should be available at either the ETU website or the Ponta Delgada site.