A record number of bikers participated in the eighth annual Tour Des Lakes.

SYRACUSE — Despite Friday’s rain, it was still a beautiful day for the eighth annual Tour Des Lakes in Syracuse this morning, July 8. At least 375 bikers participated in the ride, which is a record number for the event.

The tour offers three route options for riders: 25K, 50K and 100K. The most popular of these options was the 100K, which took riders around Lake Wawasee, Webster Lake, Chapman Lake, Winona Lake and Tippecanoe Lake.

The ultimate goal of the ride is to introduce riders to the natural beauty of Kosciusko County and raise funds for the continued growth of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trail system. Megan McClellan, executive director of the Syracuse-Wawasee Trails wanted to thank all the volunteers who made the ride possible. Because of Friday’s rain, volunteers had to work long hours to mark the trails properly. “”I trusted today would be nice but I just want to give big kudos to all the volunteers who helped,” she said.

In addition to the Tour des Lakes, the Syracuse Parks Department also hosted its fourth annual Tour de Parks Scavenger Ride which was a free family fun ride that took riders around Syracuse’s parks system. There were also three BMX shows put on by Solution Action Sports as well as several area food vendors at the Syracuse Community Center for this year’s events.

The Syracuse-Wawasee Trails has two more fundraising events in the near future. The 2nd annual car show will be held at Oakwood Resort on Aug. 6. A benefit concert featuring James & The Drifters will be held on Aug. 19 at South Shore Golf Course. For more information on these events and next year’s Tour Des Lakes, visit online.