Preparing for a bicycle race is nothing new for Curtis Moroney, who kick-started the Natchez Bicycle Classic in 1989. And while the United States Cycling Federation Elite National Road Race Championship is a big step up, the experience of preparing for the Natchez Bicycle Classic has paid off this year.

&uot;We’ve been able to put it together pretty quickly because we already had so much organization in place,&uot; Moroney said. &uot;We know how it works. Chief (Willie) Huff, (Mayor)&160;Butch Brown, (Sheriff) Tommy Ferrell and (Traffic Director) Rick Freeman know what the basic requirements. They know how to set the course and what streets to close. There’s been a good bit of street work, especially for this event which has been really nice. The focus has been on making this race happen.&uot;

Moroney said spectators can expect to see cyclists just as good and even better as last year’s Natchez Bicycle Class winner Paul Read of Austin, Texas.

&uot;It’s going to be a big step up,&uot; Moroney said. &uot;It’s an enormous field of 204 riders who are all just as good and better as our top two riders usually are.&uot;

All riders must be Category 1 riders, which means International-type riders with high placements in events all over the world.

&uot;You don’t get to be Category 1 easily,&uot; Moroney said. &uot;And our Category 1 riders around here are not as good as a Category 1 rider in California or Colorado. Those places have great big races all the time and guys are always banging their bars with each other.&uot;

Moroney suggests spectators pick a downtown spot or Silver Street, but they can also go out to Kingston and listen to the race on the radio (WNAT-1450 AM) to get an idea of what is going on and how things are developing.

Moroney said there will be a lot of action on Silver Street around 4 p.m.

&uot;That’s going to be one of the best places to watch the race because there will be a lot of attacks,&uot; Moroney said, referring to cyclists making breaks away from the pack. &uot;That’s where people will launch and attack to try and get away. There will be a lot of individual strategy.&uot;

Moroney said there will also be some team strategy.

&uot;People on one team will gather at the front to help defend a teammate up the road,&uot; he said. &uot;They’ll try to keep the race slowed down, although you can’t slow down too much. You might have a real strong team of 10 guys and they’ll send somebody on an attack and make everybody chase him. When he gets caught, they’ll send the next guy and take turns attacking to wear down other teams. All this time, the most powerful rider will be staying back in the pack and when the time is right and everybody is tired of chasing, he’ll blast off .&uot;

Moroney said some of the riders competing in Natchez today will be competing in the Tour de France one day.

&uot;A number of guys will turn pro and be on a European team next year,&uot; he said. &uot;Generally, riders on are a pro team two or three years before he gets into something like the Tour de France. It takes a lot of seasoning to be able to pace yourself to go hard and monitor your body for how much to do on any given day. You have to learn how to recover efficiently.&uot;

No doubt conquering Silver Street will be a good lesson for a lot of riders today.

And anyone attending can watch these guys in the future and say, &uot;I remember when he was in Natchez and took on the hill.&uot;

Today’s race promises to be an event anyone watching will never forget. Don’t regret later the opportunity presented in your own backyard today. Come out and watch, enjoy and appreciate.

Joey Martin is sports editor of The Democrat. He can be reached by calling 446-5172 ext. 232 or at joey.martin@natchezdemocrat.com.