WINONA LAKE - As is now the tradition, thousands from the area and beyond will converge on Winona Lake this weekend to enjoy the Northern Indiana Fat and Skinny Tire Fest.
In its sixth year, the fest has grown from its humble beginnings as the brain child of a local cycling club to an event that's became a must-attend for cyclists from across the country.
Before there was the Fat and Skinny Tire Fest, there was a group of friends, Alan Alderfer, Robbie Gast and Greg Demopoulos. In 1998, they, along with others, created KCV Cycling.
It was a way to grow cycling, whether that be road biking, mountain biking or BMX, in the area.Then, as Demopoulos said, a "perfect storm" occurred.
All within a few years, the Trailhouse was opened in the Village at Winona, the Winona Lake Trails were built and the Greenway was opened.
"Our goal is for this community to be a pro-cycling community," said Alderfer who, while serving as the president of KCV Cycling, also runs and sponsors Alderfer Bergen and Company Elite Cycling Team.
In a way, the cycling team is much like Dane Miller's ML Motorsports. While most of the team members are from outside Kosciusko County, they are comprised of cyclists who as characterized by Demopoulos are "one step away from racing for a living."
"They are the hometown cycling team, even though many of them are from somewhere else," said Demopoulos.
The Alderfer Bergen and Company Elite Cycling Team will be on display in many of the events that will take place this weekend, both on the road and on the trails.
The name of the event "Fat and Skinny" speaks to the different tires used for cycling. Skinny tires are used on bikes for road racing while the fat tires are used in mountain biking.
The DINO Series, the premiere series for mountain bike racing in Indiana will hold races Saturday afternoon in the Winona Trails.
More than $10,000 in cash and prizes will be up for grabs in the various races.
For many the weekend will kick off with a Critical Mass ride from the Trailhouse to Mad Anthony's Lake City Tap House in downtown Warsaw. The event is weather dependent, and storms are in the forecast for this evening.
While rain may wash out the ride and a stunt show is scheduled to take place in front of Mad Anthony's tonight, the weather for Saturday and Sunday is expected to be clear skies with temperatures in the mid to high 60s.
Along with Circuit Road Races Saturday, the weekend culminates with the Village Road Criterium where cyclists will hit 30-plus mph as they race a half mile track around the "island" in Winona Lake.
Demopoulos said the event is expected to draw even more people than last year when thousands attended despite less-than-ideal weather. He said that pre-registration for bike tours is up anywhere between 10 and 15 percent.
Along with historical tours of Winona Lake, other highlights of the weekend include a BMX Freestyle Show in the VIllage at Winona Saturday at 4 p.m. that features recent X-Games athletes.
There also will be night riding on the trails starting at 8 p.m.
There are countryside tours of the county of 21, 42 and 68 miles that wind through both Kosciusko and Whitley counties.
Tonight there will be a video party and prize raffle at the Mad Anthony's. Guitarist Michael Kelsey will provide entertainment Saturday night.
For more information, visit www.fatandskinnytirefest.com or call Trailhouse at 574-267-2223
For more information on the races and local cyclists, check out today's Sports section of the Times-Union.
The following is a schedule of events for the Sixth Annual Fat and Skinny Tire Fest. The locations of events are in parenthesis.
Today
6 to 11 p.m. Festival Kick-off Party (Lake City Tap House)
Saturday
7 a.m. Event Registration, Info at Trailhouse/Expo Set-up (Village at Winona)
