Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
WINONA LAKE - Phase by phase, the Winona Lake Bike Park at Hauth Trailhead along Pierceton Road is becoming more and more a reality.
Thursday afternoon, a ceremonial groundbreaking took place for phase II of the park, which will eventually include a pump track, a kids bike playground, jump lines, a skill zone and more.
Mike Cusick, Kosciusko County Velo (KCV) Cycling president, said, “As you can see, there’s some dirt out here already, but nothing on the scale you’re going to see.”
Dirt from the site of the Community Fieldhouse being constructed at Miller Athletic Complex on the Grace College campus is being provided to the bike park. Cusick said they’re estimating 1,100 truckloads of dirt will be moved from the fieldhouse to the park to create the base for the park.
“We are starting phase II of the bike park construction. Phase I was we paid off the land, so we appreciate the help of the Grace College Catalyst Fund for that. Phase II, which is this next phase, which is building four different (features) out here, maybe five; all the site prep, bringing the dirt over, etc.; is only happening because we are benefitting from the foresight that (Grace College President Dr.) Drew (Flamm) and others at Grace had to include the bike park as part of the Catalyst Corridor ask. So we’re very appreciative to Grace College and also the Lilly Endowment for providing these funds that are getting us probably five years ahead of schedule,” Cusick said.
The Catalyst Corridor is funded by a $27 million grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc. through its initiative, College and Community Collaboration. The Catalyst Corridor Project is a series of initiatives in Warsaw and Winona Lake that fall into four themes: innovation initiatives, well-being amenities, connection ways and enhanced placemaking, according to a 2024 news release from Grace. Grace worked closely with the town of Winona Lake and the city of Warsaw, along with many community partners, to develop the Catalyst Corridor Project and proposal.
Cusick said KCV is in the middle of raising funds for phase II. They have up to $1 million from the Catalyst Corridor for phase II. They also have a matching grant from the K21 Health Foundation for $375,000.
“So as we raise $375,000, they’re going to additional provide $375,000, and those monies together will at least allow us to complete phase II and have an operating bike park by this time next year,” he said.
Phase III will be a pump track, activity center, finalizing, parking lots and possibly lights and fencing.
Along with thanking Grace College and K21, Cusick thanked the Kosciusko County Convention and Recreation Visitors Commission for their grants, the town of Winona Lake for their support, Kosciusko County for their support, the KCV Board of Directors and others.
Executive Director of the Catalyst Corridor Dr. Emi Kreklau said, “We are so excited to support this project. As you can see, there’s a lot of synergy and collaboration happening with the KCV Bike Park and the fieldhouse project, and we’re just excited for the hub of recreation that it’s going to create.”
Being newer to the community, she said she did not know about KCV until the Fat+Skinny Tire Festival and then she learned a lot about the trails and the “vibrant” biking community in Winona Lake and Kosciusko County. She also learned about what a bike park is.
“When I got to talk to Mike and see the pictures of what the park was going to be, I was just super excited and I can’t wait to get on a bike and ride in the park,” she said, adding that she was “thrilled” that the bike park is part of the Catalyst Corridor.
K21 Health Foundation President and CEO Rich Haddad said, “We have had a ‘before they were a nonprofit entity’ relationship with KCV Cycling. A passion and a vision from a couple of the bike enthusiasts have turned into what is now going to become really the premier bike park in our region. It’s just amazing. I am a big fan of people who have passion and have to figure out what to do with that passion. Seeing it actually become a reality, and, really, way beyond what they probably ever dreamed of, which is incredible.”
As someone of faith, Haddad said he thinks God often puts a passion in somebody’s heart that is so deep they can’t help but do something about it.
“So it’s really neat to see a couple passionate bikers say, ‘We’re going to make Kosciusko County one of the best bike counties in all of Indiana, if not the Midwest,’ and I would say they are,” he stated. “We’ve been thrilled to be a partner every step of the way.”
When the land became available, it was going to go quick, Haddad recalled. The K21 Board was quick to act on KCV’s interest in getting ahold of the land for the bike park.
“So we were that lender that got to be paid off by the Catalyst Corridor. Thank you for paying us off! But then pretty quickly, with phase I getting the land secured, phase II let’s build a workable bike park, our board, when they made their commitment for $375,000, the reason it’s a match is because we want the entire community to lean in and feel like we are owning this, too. This is our bike park. We want to be a part of this. So there’s an amazing opportunity for us to all do our part and say this is our bike park,” he explained.
Haddad stated the bike park “is going to be one of the shining features and amenities of the region, but certainly Kosciusko County will be known at a whole other level of being an amazing, friendly biking community.”
Cusick reiterated one of the vision pieces of the bike park is for it to be a world-class facility.
“With the bike park, with all the features we’re adding, the pump track, the clubhouse, activity center, 10 miles of trails behind us, all the greenways that are here now and being developed throughout the county, we are ... becoming a recreation hub and there are no other bike parks like this within a five-state region,” Cusick said. “So we really do think that not only are we going to have a positive impact on our community residents - healthy, physical, mental, social aspects - but we’re going to have a positive economic impact on the area as well because there’s a lot of data that shows bike parks do bring visitors in for multiple nights, multiple times throughout the year.”
He said they already know there are riders who come from a five-state region just to ride bicycles here. The bike park will be an even bigger draw for more visitors to the area.
Cusick also made a plug for volunteers for the Fat+Skinny Tire Festival.
The festival is May 15-17 in Warsaw and Winona Lake. Cusick said in 2025, they had a record 340 unique volunteers. Volunteers get a T-shirt, meal ticket and a gift, as well as helping the community.
To learn more about the KCV bike park and how to get involved, go to kcvcycling.org/blog/kosciusko-county-bike-park-learn-ride-connect/.
To learn more about the Fat+Skinny Tire Festival, including volunteering opportunities, visit https://kcvcycling.org/events/fat-skinny-tire-fest/
