Marcie Knafel, Carmel, and Katie Zarich, Indianapolis, were two of the more than 400 riders to participate in the 13th annual Tur des Lakes on Saturday, July 20.

By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

More than 400 riders took to the trails around Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake for the 13th annual Tour de Lakes. Participants in the longest course also enjoyed views of other lakes, including Webster, Chapman, Tippecanoe and Winona. Regardless of the path chosen, the weather was ideal for a long bike ride with temperatures in the mid-60s at the start of the ride.

The annual event is conducted by the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails and serves as one of its largest fundraisers each year. Last year’s event, as well as several others in the series, was a rainy one, so organizers were thrilled with the mild temperatures and bright sunshine.

“We are very excited to say this is a record breaking year,” said Syracuse-Wawasee Trails Executive Director Amanda Plank. “We’re expecting more than 400 riders today for the 30K, 55K and 100K routes. We have beautiful weather for the first time in 13 years. It’s not raining today and people are really excited to get out on the roads.”

Sam Troyer, Middlebury, was ready to begin the 30K course. A dozen friends and family members joined him on Saturday in honor of his 91st birthday.

While some of the riders are from Kosciusko and surrounding counties, many others came from as far away as Chicago and Indianapolis to take part in the event. For many participants, this is an annual event on their calendars. For others, this is their first time to set out on the course.

“I’ve been coming to the lakes area my whole life,” said Katie Zarich of Indianapolis, who has ridden in previous Tour des Lakes.. “This is a very beautiful place to ride a bicycle.”

She and her riding partner for the day, Marcie Knafel of Carmel, are part of IU Health Momentum Indy Divas, a club that includes around 200 women. Zarich said there were at least four of the club’s members who made the trip to Syracuse to participate today, and she hopes even more of the club’s members will participate in future rides. Both ladies were partaking in the 100K route.

“This is going to be my third ride,” said Knafel. “It’s just beautiful. I’ve been up in the area for many, many years, just seeing the lakes, experiencing the lakes. So when this ride came up, I said ‘that’d be fun, just to go around all the different lakes.’ And it has been fun, it’s been great.”

One group of about a dozen riders, many from Middlebury, came in honor of Sam Troyer’s 91st birthday. Troyer’s daughter, Sandi Clark, said her brother Tony Troyers came from Oregon and brother Mark Troyer from Ohio to participate in the ride.

Each Tour des Lakes participant received a voucher for lunch after they finished their ride. Along the way, SAG stops were provided for riders to take a break and pick up a snack and drink.