Kosciusko County Velo board members are pictured at the official opening of the Hauth Trailhead. From left are Fred Helfrich, Megan Carr, Jake Moore, Nate Lothamer, Nick Hauck, Mike Cusick, Jenna Faas and Greg Demopoulos. InkFreeNews photo provided by Kosciusko County Velo.

By Keith Knepp
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — With spring around the corner, bikers in Kosciusko County are ready to put away their stationary cycles and pull out their favorite two-wheeler

Wren Chapman is pictured racing in the kid’s races during the Fat and Skinny Tire Fest last May.

It’s the best time of the year for bicycling enthusiasts involved with Kosciusko County Velo, a local organization committed to all things pedaling.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023, KCV isn’t necessarily a cycling club with a membership roster, but more accurately a group for like-minded area cyclists.

“Our vision is to improve our community through bicycling and our mission, specifically, is to make Kosciusko County more active and better connected for all residents and visitors through bicycling,” said KCV Board President Mike Cusick.

“We are a cycling organization that’s shifted from being focused on riders, although we still do that, but we’ve actually shifted our focus to what we call the ‘Three As,’ which are advocacy, access and activities.

“Advocacy speaks to awareness and education. We’re one of the founding organizations of ‘Ride/Walk.’ Some of our members, including myself, are part of the county parks and recreation board. We work with a lot of the towns and the city for bike related elements.

“When we talk about advocacy, it’s not just for cyclists. It’s also for pedestrians and what we call ‘active transportation.’ The Lake City Greenway is certainly for recreation, but also for active transportation, so people who want to walk or ride to work have an option that’s safe and accessible.”

KCV runs different programs for different age groups to educate about cycling awareness and safety elements. Their program, “Smart Cycling,” seeks to give riders more confidence by educating them in the laws and making them more comfortable in mixed traffic.

One of KCV’s biggest education programs is Tracy’s Trailer, in which volunteers go into several Warsaw elementary schools to provide a four- to five-week program that teaches third graders about the laws and rules of bicycling. They provide each student with a helmet before concluding the program with a bike rodeo that allows them to practice their skills.

The program is funded by a grant that was used to purchase a trailer containing 36 bicycles. Their goal is to expand the program into every elementary school in Kosciusko County.

“We look at access in two ways,” Cusick said of the second ‘A’ of KCV’s focus. “One is access to better bike infrastructure, such as the Greenway and the trails throughout the county. A piece of that for us is the Winona Lake Trails. We have 10 miles of dirt trails for mountain biking, hiking, walking and running. We don’t own the trails, but we maintain and manage them through our huge group of volunteers.”

KCV’s last ‘A’ is activities, which includes the popular Fat and Skinny Tire Fest, which returns for its 18th year May 19-21 “It’s one big festival, but it’s not a singular event. We have about 15 separate events that make that up that are very family friendly and get people on bikes.”

In October, KCV will host its second Winona Lake Trail Fest. The event brings the community together for bicycling and brings more awareness about the Winona Lake Trails and their current major program.

“Two years ago we acquired the 15 acres next to the current trails with a vision of building a bike park,” Cusick said. “We’re in the middle of fundraising. Our first phase is to cover the cost of the land. Future phases will be to build the bike park itself.”

Elements of the park will include a paved “pump track” for all bikers of all ability levels, a kids’ bicycling playground and an extension of the Winona Lake Trails and the Greenway.

To learn more about Kosciusko County Velo, visit kcvcycling.org or most relevant social media outlets.

Mountain bikers at last year’s inaugural Winona Lake Trail Fest included, from left, Matt Marsh, Steve Marsh, Heath Whetstone and Sarah Marsh.