Skip the fancy spandex garb.

Pack a helmet.

Tote a bike, and join a new group of cyclists for a refreshing and scenic hour-long bike trek through Hattiesburg.

It's called Tour de Hattiesburg and it's an idea that's catching on, thanks to Hiram Hill, a bike enthusiast who posts a weekly bike route online.

Every Saturday morning, Hill and others meet at 7:30 a.m. at the newly remodeled train depot parking lot in downtown Hattiesburg for what some are calling a great way to fellowship, meet people, have fun and stay healthy.

"I like riding in a group," John Thomsen, 67, said.

The Petal resident caught wind of Hill's bike ride plans on a Hattiesburg American forum and tried the group out last week.

That ride - which took him through the historic district, down brick streets and through places not easily accessible - hooked him.

"They're true, pleasurable and scenic bike rides," he said yesterday during his second week riding with the group.

The post-dawn city sights and sounds is what keeps Jeff Moore, 17, pedaling along with the group.

"I like to come out when the city is quiet and take a ride," the Petal resident said.

Hill of Petal has watched the group grow from four riders to 10 since starting about a month ago.

"I'd like to see this whole parking lot be full," he said, glancing around at the cars with bike racks parked in the depot lot.

He's a biker with a fitness goal.

"I was going to school, and I was overweight," he said, explaining how he got hooked on the healthy hobby.

To reach weight goals, Hill began biking the 14-mile, round-trip haul from Petal to the University of Southern Mississippi for classes.

But he had to do some preliminary endurance work first to get in shape.

"I started riding my bike around the neighborhood to be able to go the full distance," he said. "I built up from 1 mile, to 4 miles - then 10."

Now, he rides 20 to 30 miles a week. The pounds melted away, but not as rapidly as he had hoped.

"I'd lose more if I had time to ride," Hill said, adding he works two jobs and attends school full time.

Weight loss isn't Hill's only motivating force.

"I feel more self-sufficient on a bike rather than having to trust the mechanics of a car," he said.

And he's proud.

"It's a feeling of accomplishment - going from a half-mile to the full distance," Hill said, adding he'd like to see more people out riding.

Tour De Hattiesburg rides take about an hour, and riders cover about 10 miles.

James Moore, owner of Moore's Bike Shop in Hattiesburg and a Petal alderman, takes part in the rides. He said casual, coffee shop-type clothing is recommended instead of expensive, intimidating bike gear.

"They're flat-footed, laid-back rides," Moore said.