Late Winona Lake Town Councilman and cycling enthusiast Jim Zachary was honored during opening ceremonies of the Kosciusko County Velo Cycling Club’s 2022 Fat & Skinny Tire Fest, which was held on Friday, May 20, to Sunday, May 22, in Kosciusko County. His family rode out at the front of the mass community ride from Winona Lake to Warsaw on Friday, May 20. Shown are his family in the white T-shirts. InkFreeNews photos by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WINONA LAKE — Jim Zachary had a passion for cycling.

Attendees at the Kosciusko County Velo Cycling Club’s 2022 Fat & Skinny Tire Fest were reminded of that on Friday, May 20.

Zachary, who passed away in August 2021, was recognized during the weekend event’s opening festivities in Winona Lake, his hometown, where he had served as a town council member.

KCV Cycling Club President Mike Cusick, who spoke before people rode out on a community ride from Winona Lake to Warsaw, noted Zachary “was a great friend of the community … a great friend of the (KCV Cycling) Club.”

“He loved the Fat & Skinny Tire Fest as well,” said Cusick. “So tonight we’re actually going to ride out in memory of Jim Zachary because he was such a significant member of this community as well as the club and loved bikes.”

Zachary’s daughter Haley Zachary then read from a piece he had written regarding cycling in Winona Lake that was published in 2013.

“Bicycling is social. It’s healthy. It’s fun, and you can make it what you want. In Kosciusko County one can bike for exercise, for competition, to enjoy family time or just for leisure,” she read.

“As I child I practically lived on my bike and like any kid, I rode in the general area of my house,” she read from the piece. ” As I grew, so did my cycling addiction as I discovered the Winona Lake trails. My friends and I used to sneak around through our back yard in Southtown Estates to ride through the woods into the public greenway. So much of our community is now being connected in this way and it’s exciting to see.”

“It is literally faster to take your time on your bicycle to get to certain places rather than drive around the lake,” she continued to read. “This success story isn’t limited to (Winona Lake and Warsaw’s ride and walk initiative). It has over time become a reality throughout the county. Greenways and bike lanes in Warsaw have become more prevalent, and the Kosciusko County bikeways are now marked to indicate mileage for those interested cyclists.”

“What so amazes me most about cycling are the people you meet,” Jim Zachary also wrote in the piece. “The diversity in the bicycling community is incredible. It’s a social neutralizer. I have made friends whose ages range from teen to retiree from varied economic backgrounds to prominent members of the community to successful business owners and even government officials.”

“No matter where we are or where we come from, when we’re riding or just talking about bicycling, we are all the same,” the piece also said.

Zachary’s family then rode out at the front of the community ride to Warsaw.

Young racers

The Fat & Skinny Tire Festival not only included leisurely rides, but also various races.

On Saturday, May 21, the Do INdiana Off-road (DINO) Series races were held on Winona Lake’s trails.

Winning overall in the Junior category as well as placing first in ages 11-14 in that category was 13-year-old Blake Stevens of Indianapolis. He’s been racing for a year and finished in around 24 minutes despite a mishap on the course as he explained to InkFreeNews.

“It was my first win ever,” he said. “So I was kind of surprised that I got into the woods first and I was, ‘OK, just don’t crash.’ And in the middle I hit a root and bounced my front tire and crashed. And I was like, ‘No, No, No!’ And I jumped back on and kept going and the rest of the race was clear.”

“It feels pretty good,” he said of the win.

He noted rain from the thunderstorm that passed through the area early on Saturday morning did cause “a few slick sports.”

“But overall the mud kind of made the dirt a little more grippy,” he said.

Finishing first in ages 15-18 for the Base category was Wiley Close of Yorktown.

“Awesome,” he said of how it felt to win his age group in his first-ever race. “I’m really happy,” he said adding that he’ll probably continue racing.

“I thought that I was going to be a little scared on some of the downhills, but it ended up being pretty fun,” he said.

During the Fat & Skinny Tire Fest’s opening festivities in Winona Lake Friday, Zachary’s daughter Haley Zachary read a piece he had written about cycling in Winona Lake that was published in 2013.

Warsaw Mayor Joe Thallemer, center, poses with his grandsons Will Warrender, 4, left, and Charlie Warrender, 2, before they headed out on the mass community ride to Warsaw.

Festival organizers estimated that around 850 people participated in the mass community ride from Winona Lake to Warsaw on Friday.

Wonder Wheels BMX put on a show in downtown Warsaw on Friday as part of the festival.

One of Wonder Wheels BMX’s riders catches some air during the show.

Collyns Young enjoys playing a game as part of the festival Friday in downtown Warsaw.

The festival’s events Friday in downtown Warsaw included a performance by The Broken Lifters.

Blake Stevens, 13, Indianapolis, was both the overall winner of the Junior category as well as the ages 11-14 division within it during the festival’s Saturday, May 21, Do INdiana Off-road (DINO) Series races held on the Winona Lake trails.

In his first-ever race, Wiley Close of Yorktown won the ages 15-18 division in the Base category of the DINO Series races Saturday.

Kids line up to race in the DINO Series Saturday.

Riders finish their race during the DINO Series on Saturday.