We recommend three different resources to those who are searching for interesting bike rides in our area.
KCV Cycling Club group rides
The local cycling club offers regularly scheduled group rides for all types of bikes and riders. There are mountain bike, road bike and cruiser rides for everyone from the most experienced rider to beginners. Note that helmets are required for these rides and you will be asked to sign a waiver on your first ride. Check out their website for up-to-date ride information at http://www.kcvcycling.org/group-rides/
You can also follow the Club on their Facebook page to receive invitations to Club events.
Kosciusko County Bikeways
Rides on your own
One of the best resources for finding good routes to ride both in our immediate area as well as around the country is Map My Ride. Start at http://www.mapmyride.com/us/warsaw-in/
The only “problem” is that this is a public site, so there are 736 rides listed in the Warsaw Winona Lake area. So here are some hints for sorting them out, and following we will highlight a few specific routes that are favorites. You will find every type for ride on this site, from challenging rides of over 100 miles to easy cruises around one of the greenways.
Note that if you are looking at a map for a specific route and click on Map Options and turn on Show Bike Paths you will see green dotted lines for the roads that are part of the Kosciusko County Bikeways.
One easy way to find a ride that suits your tastes is to click the Search for Routes button. This will take you to a page where you can select rides by the distance of the ride and location. You will need to enter “Warsaw, IN” or your Zip Code in the Near: box in order to get rides in this area. The resulting map will show you starting points for rides; you can then click on the ride on the list to see that ride laid out on the map.
Another way to find a good route is to use the Popular Routes tab on the map page, then scroll down the list to find an area and mileage that match you wishes.
Here are a few rides that we have found interesting over the years.
Big Lake Loop
Almost 50 miles of lake country cruising, around Chapman, Dewart, Tippecanoe and Wawasee Lakes. This is a fairly hilly ride, so don’t say we didn’t warn you. Watch out for car traffic near the lakes.
WCC Pierceton Cruise
This is a nice 20 mile round trip from south of Warsaw to Pierceton and back. You will find very little auto traffic on this route. There are a few small hills.
Hammer Crew Chapel Hill Rush
This ride out and back ride has a treat at the turn-around. The Chapel Hill is one of the highest points in the area. Needless to say it’s a long ride to the top, but the view is worth the burn. Crystal Lake Road can have fast moving vehicle traffic but the visibility is good, so just keep your eyes open.