Bicyclists coming to city later this month

Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure information

The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) will celebrate its 27th tour this June with 2,000 participants.  The seven-day, 300-plus mile cycling tour of Ohio will take place June 20-27 in northwest Ohio, including overnight camping in Van Wert on Saturday, Bluffton on Sunday, Defiance on Monday and Tuesday, Bowling Green on Wednesday and Thursday, Ottawa on Friday, and will return to Van Wert on Saturday, June 27.

The event will kick off with a bicycle parade in Van Wert, starting from the Van Wert County Fairgrounds, on Saturday, June 20, at 6:15 p.m. A costume contest with the theme “GOBA U – Earn Your Cycology Major” will be part of the bicycle parade.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 6:35 that evening in Fountain Park in downtown Van Wert. Immediately following the opening ceremonies, an evening of entertainment will begin on the Fountain Park stage. Attendance at the ceremonies and entertainment is free and open to the public.

Once again, GOBA participants represent many states, as well as many other countries. While 70 percent of the participants hail from Ohio, 39 additional states are represented, notably Alaska, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida. The countries of Canada, Japan, Sweden and Australia are also sending participants this year.

The hallmark of GOBA is the family-friendly atmosphere, well represented by the age range.  In 2015, more than 140 riders are age 70 or over, while, at the other end of the age spectrum, 220 are age 18 and under. Twenty-one percent of the ridership is traveling on GOBA as part of a multi-generational family group riding together.

For further information on the tour, access the event website at www.goba.com, phone 614.273.0811 or go to www.facebook.com/gobatour.