Shawn Farrell began cycling competitively in the early 1970s. In the mid-1980s, Farrell found less time to race, so he looked into officiating.

&uot;I kind of liked it,&uot; he said. &uot;Then I started taking it more serious than racing.&uot;

Farrell, a native of Fort Collins, Colo., will be the chief official at the United States Cycling Federation Elite National Road Race Championship here Sunday.

&uot;Essentially I’ll be in charge of everything that happens,&uot; Farrell said. &uot;I’m like the referee in baseball and football. I’ll work with the organizers of the federation.&uot;

Farrell will ride along with the cyclists during the race.

Sunday’s race will start at 1 p.m. on Main Street and head out to Kingston for a 17-mile circuit.

There they will take four race loops before heading back into town on Liberty Road, turning left on Auburn Avenue.

On the fourth lap, cyclists will held back on Springfield to downtown Natchez.

Cyclists will then do six laps downtown, including riding up and down Natchez Under the Hill over a 4.5-mile circuit.

Farrell will be making sure all rules are followed on the route, especially during the four-loop circuit at Kingston.

&uot;We have to coordinate vehicle movement,&uot; Farrell said. &uot;We have to make sure nobody is cheating. We make sure no vehicle is drifting off course or feeding (handing water bottles to riders) when they are not supposed to.&uot;

Cyclists cannot have water for the first 50 kilometers.

Farrell said fines can be levied for anything illegal. And if something happens to effect the race, a disqualification can be handed out.

Team vans cannot pass an official without getting permission.

&uot;If they go up to their rider without getting permission, they will be fined,&uot; Farrell said.

Farrell also looks to make sure a cyclist does not pull over and join the race after a loop.

Farrell said he doesn’t foresee any major problems Sunday.

&uot;It’s a great route, and it’s very safe,&uot; he said. &uot;When we went on it, everybody was waving and cleaning up, so obviously there is a lot of enthusiasm here. I’ve been all around the world, and if people are enthusiastic about a race, everything goes well. The people here are very enthusiastic.&uot;

Farrell said the race will run even if it rains.

&uot;The only reason we would stop it is lightning,&uot; he said. &uot;We have a lot of options as far as delays. We can neutralize the race, which means everybody slows down. We wouldn’t want to shorten it, because that would give the advantage to the sprinters.&uot;

Saturday: Herring Gas rider Kenny Bellau of New Orleans hopes to finish in top 10.