Russell Tindol's interview from the Macon Cycling Classic

Hundreds of cyclists from across the southeast raced around Macon's Tattnall Square Park Saturday.
The event marked the city's first annual Macon Cycling Classic. The city hosted a similar event last June, but event organizers say they decided to move this year's race to the College Hill corridor.
Both beginner and professional cyclists raced in the all-day event that featured criterium races on a 0.7 mile course around the park.
Sixteen-year-old Russell Tindol traveled from Gwinnett County, Ga. for the event. The cyclist says he's been racing since he was nine years old. He won the juniors race for his age group on Saturday.
"It hurts but it's a fun, thrilling kind of thing," Tindol said. "It's really hard not to like the sport once you start doing it."
He says cycling builds character and mental toughness.
"It's all about team tactics and there's a lot of thinking that goes into it, along with just being able to hang on and push yourself as hard as you can," Tindol said.

Two years ago, Tindol battled a brain tumor. He says treatment kept him from racing competitively, but now he's cancer free and happy to back on the course. He says he hopes other young athletes give cycling a try.
"It'd be more fun to have more people to compete against and meet more people and race all around the U.S. if we could," Tindol said.
Bill Causey, who directs a Walthall-sponsored racing team and helped organize Saturday's event, says he hopes the cycling classic encourages more participation in the sport.
"Macon's a little behind as far as cycling as a sport," Causey said. "We don't have bike lanes around, we don't have biking facilities to speak of, but we're hoping to change all that."
He says the College Hill Alliance, Mercer University and other community groups are working together to increase events like Saturday's. He says future races, like Saturday's, will bring visitors and more spending to downtown Macon.