Senior 1, 2, 3 category cyclist Mike Brands of Jackson said most people are not really surprised when they find out he is a scientist for the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

&uot;They are more surprised at the people cheering for me, what with four kids,&uot; Brands said.

Brands, who began racing at the age of 34, and his wife have four children from age 5 to 12.

Brands does cardiovascular physiology research, dealing with diabetes and obesity.

&uot;Riding is a good release,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s a matter of how rotten a week I’ve had.&uot;

Brands trains by himself.

&uot;The toughest part is the integral training it takes to stay up with the faster group,&uot; he said.

Although eligible for the Masters division, Brands plans on staying in Senior 1, 2, 3 as long as possible.

&uot;It’s more challenging,&uot; he said. &uot;When I see that I can’t keep up, then that’s the time I’ll know to change categories.&uot;

Brands finished 44th out of 50th (5:19) in the time trials, which started on Main Street, going down D.A. Biglane before making the tough ascent up Silver Street.

&uot;That’s a doozy,&uot; Brands said. &uot;It’s really pretty under the hill. But we don’t have quite so many hills in the Jackson area.&uot;

Cyclists went north on Broadway, took a right on Franklin and returned to Main to complete the route.

&uot;I survived,&uot; Brands said when asked of his time.

Brands was 46th in the road race and is currently 48th overall.

Brands is competing in his first Natchez Bicycle Classic.

&uot;It’s such a good race, and I heard so much about it,&uot; he said. &uot;I’m usually working or one of the kids has a baseball or soccer game. I’ve always wanted to come.&uot;

Brands got into cycling naturally. He rode his bike back and forth to work.

&uot;I was commuting back and forth to work and doing so many miles that friends told me I should try racing,&uot; he said. &uot;I started and just got carried away with it.&uot;

Craig Bennett and Mark Hovsepian are Senior 4, 5 cyclists from Hammond, La., making their first appearance in Natchez.

&uot;I’ve been coming through Natchez since I was a child, and just wanted to race,&uot; Bennett said. &uot;I’ve been trying to find as many as I could that were close. Natchez has a beautiful downtown area; it’s really nice.&uot;

And as for Under-the-Hill, &uot;that’s pretty tough,&uot; Bennett said.

&uot;It’s a hill,&uot; Hovsepian echoed.

Hovsepian grew up in New Orleans before moving to Hammond. He and Bennett are just two of about 20 cyclists competing this weekend for Lakeshore Cycling out of New Orleans.

&uot;This is one of the bigger races in the area,&uot; Hovsepian said.