NATCHEZ — A new type of bicycle racing is being introduced to Natchez Saturday, which may result in athletes becoming psychos.

The Natchez Bicycle Club will be hosting a Louisiana Mississippi Bicycle Racing Association event, the Natchez Psycho-Cross race at Duncan Park. The name is a play on cyclo-cross racing, a unique form of bicycle competition.

Natchez resident Lena Yarbrough, who is helping to organize the race, said cyclo-cross racing involves shorter-distance courses than normal bike races.

“The course is usually a mile to a mile and a half,” Yarbrough said. “It’s one loop or circle that can usually be viewed from all areas, so it doesn’t include trails.”

Racers will try to accumulate as many laps as possible during a time limit. The B racers will compete for 30 minutes and the A racers, who are more experienced, for 45 minutes.

“You just keep doing laps until the time is up,” Yarbrough said.

“During the course you have obstacles where you get off your bike and either push or carry it through. They range from pits to stairs, but can’t exceed 18 feet high.”

Yarbrough also said cyclo-cross racing is usually done in Europe during snowy and inclement weather.

“It’s always fun and crazy,” she said.

Duncan Park was chosen because of its centralized location in town, and because it already had “built-in obstacles,” Yarbrough said.

“It has a lot of parking, and things like sand and stairs,” Yarbrough said. “We’re adding very few of our own obstacles.”

Cyclo-cross racers usually involved specialized cyclo-cross bicycles, but Yarbrough said mountain bikes would be allowed.

“I would expect more than 50 percent of the riders will have cyclo-cross bikes,” Yarbrough said.

“It’s a fairly new series, so we’re allowing them, but you typically don’t want them because their wheels are big, so they won’t travel fast. They’re also heavier, but some of these really good riders can still get out and do well with them.”

The event will be family-friendly, Yarbrough said, and the more noise the better.

“Things like cowbells are welcome,” she said. “In Europe, it’s always a fun and crazy sport. You’ll sometimes encounter costumes, but I don’t think we’ll see that (Saturday). We hope to bring it back every year and make it more fun.”

The B race will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday. A children’s race will follow the B race, with the A race rounding out the event.