WINONA LAKE, Ind. – K21 Health Foundation and KCV Cycling Inc. present the Fat & Skinny Tire Fest Friday through Sunday, May 16-18, in Warsaw and Winona Lake.

The 11th annual bicycle festival takes place every year, the third weekend of May, as the community celebrates National Bicycle Month and Bike-to-Work Week/Day. The growing event is a fun-filled weekend centered on bringing cycling enthusiasts and participants together to share the enjoyment of bicycling and the health related benefits it provides. In 2013, the communities of Warsaw and Winona Lake were designated a Bicycling Friendly Community, one of only eight in the state of Indiana.

“As we enter our 11th year, we are excited to continue celebrating the positive benefits of bicycling for the health and wellness of our community, as well as the economic benefits it can provide. The Fat & Skinny Tire Fest promotes bicycling for all ages and abilities of bicycling enthusiasts,” says Greg Demopoulos, president of KCV Cycling.

The wheels start turning on Friday evening with the Festival Kick-off ride and Kick-off party. Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer and Winona Lake Town Administrator Craig Allebach, along with additional community and business leaders will headline a group ride of approximately 300 cyclists from The Village at Winona in Winona Lake to downtown Warsaw for the opening festivities to raise awareness for National Bicycle Month, celebrate our recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community, and continue promoting our local Ride+Walk initiative. Following the ride, Mad Anthony’s Lake City Taphouse will host a free BMX stunt show, live music, and bicycle videos in downtown Warsaw.

The festival organizers are proud to showcase multiple disciplines of bicycling activities, along with representatives from cycling organizations, such as: Indiana Bicycle Coalition, Northern Indiana Mountain Bike Association, and Ride+Walk Warsaw+Winona Lake, as well as cycling vendors and representatives from Scott Bicycles, Giant Bicycles, SRAM, and many more.

“We’ve organized the festival to have something for the whole family. For casual riders we have multi-length casual road tours, historic Winona Lake bicycling tours, a family scavenger hunt, and a low-key mountain bike ride. For racers we have a DINO-series mountain bike race, and two USA Cycling sanctioned road races. We also have kid-specific safety courses and activities, three BMX stunt shows, new bike demos, great food, live music and microbrews. It’s always a great bicycling weekend to get excited for summer. Be sure to bring your bikes, your family, and your friends,” says Demopoulos.

The festival culminates with some great road racing on Sunday around the island in The Village at Winona, including the Ortho Cup, a corporate challenge pitting local company representatives on 4-person relay teams racing single speed beach cruisers against each other to have their name engraved on the Orthopedic Cup Trophy (appropriately made of orthopedic implants per Warsaw’s overwhelming orthopedic corporate footprint).

The Fat & Skinny Tire Fest is promoted by KCV (Kosciusko County Velo) Cycling Club and The Village at Winona. Through the gracious support of numerous volunteers and sponsors, this event continues to grow each year.  We are expecting approximately 750 participating cyclists and over 5000 spectators from a six state region.

For the entire event schedule, click HERE.