Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
The Do Indiana Off-Road (D.IN.O) Mountain Bike Racing series has called the Winona Lake Trails home since 2002, a full three years before partnering with the Fat & Skinny Tire festival in 2005 to make the first in a series of six races a headliner of a three-day festival that celebrates those who love to get their exercise and fun done on two wheels.
Fat & Skinny was back once again this past weekend, as were the D.IN.O races. Contests for all different skill levels and age groups were held Saturday at the Winona Lake trail. With groups ranging from riders just beginning their cycling careers to the more experienced riders competing, fans of all ages were in attendance to give the races a big time feel. The expected turnout was between 200 and 250 competitors.
D.IN.O will host around 25 events around the state of Indiana in a given year, including the six mountain bike races in a series that will run until the end of August. The rules are simple: compete in a race and try to finish with the best time possible to get the most points. Points are then accumulated over the course of the series. D.IN.O also has trail run and triathlon events.
There’s a reason D.IN.O returns to Winona Lake and the festival each year, and it goes far beyond the quality of the trail and track. It’s because the community support the organization receives is second to none.
“It’s a great way to start our series. [The festival] helps us so much in terms of getting everything ready and making sure everything goes over smoothly,” director Brian Holzhausen said. “In terms of the support from the community and the KCB club, it’s unlike anywhere else that we go.”
After an extremely hot day last year, the racers had to deal with some humid conditions on Saturday, as well as a bit of rain in the early morning. But as the day went on, the course improved, leading to another successful day for the event.
Even with the series making a stop at the Fat & Skinny for many years now, Saturday’s event still had people making their first trip to Warsaw and Winona Lake to experience it. That included competitor Daniel Smith from Brighton, Michigan, who made the trip down to check things out.
“My son races for CCA, and is here all weekend competing in road races. I’m not a road racer, so I figured I’d give this a shot,” Smith, who competed in the Elite 40-49 event and finished 12th, said. “I was smiling the whole time. The course was awesome, the race organizers did a great job. This is the best mountain bike race I can remember doing for quite a few years.”
For others, it is a way to reconnect with people they haven’t seen in the offseason.
“It’s kind of like a reunion when we start up in the spring. A lot of these guys, I haven't seen them from September until now,” Holzhausen said. Then we start back up and you get to catch up, see people you haven’t in a while. It’s a lot of fun.”
As for the races themselves, the Elite Men Division was won by 26-year-old Ethan Jedlicka of Indianapolis, who finished the race with a time of 2:12:13.66, five minutes ahead of second place’s Matthew Light, a local competitor from Winona Lake. Rick Mezo of Crown Point, who had won the race in each of the last two years, finished eighth.
Emily Leonard of Columbia City took first place in the Expert Women race, finishing with a time of 1:42:25.29. The next in the series will take place at Brown County State Park on May 31.
