Mansfield will witness a swarm of bicyclists this June with the return of the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA).
GOBA Executive Director Julie Van Winkle discussed some of the event’s details during a Feb. 18 visit with the county commissioners.
GOBA, a weeklong bicycle tour held June 14-21, will start and finish in Mansfield—the third year for that to happen (previous years include 1990 and 1996). Bicyclists will convene on June 14 at the Richland County Fairgrounds, where there will be a variety of activities, including a bicycle parade in the evening.
The following day, bicyclists officially commence their tour, riding approximately 50 miles a day to Orrville, Coshocton, Mount Vernon, Bucyrus, and then back to Mansfield.
To ensure the success of this event, GOBA is partnering with the Mansfield/Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), which will function as the “town coordinator,” said CVB Marketing/Meetings Director Kim Miers.
Van Winkle noted that the tour will have an economic impact on the county. The anticipated number of participants ranges from 2,300-2,500 bicyclists, said Van Winkle. She added that 900 people are registered thus far.
“Number wise, this is a good-sized event. You got 2,500 people who are coming here and hanging out overnight and this is where they come back to. The awareness and the PR that comes from that is really good,” said CVB President Lee Tasseff.
The tour sees participation from multiple generations—18 percent of the riders are under 18 years old; 40 percent are between 31-50 years old; 30 percent are between 51-70 years old, noted Miers. She added, “It’s very family friendly.”
Van Winkle commented that about 70 percent of the riders hail from Ohio and the remaining 30 percent represent 40 other states, as well as other countries like Canada, England, Switzerland, and Japan.
Riders will travel mostly on county and township roads, said Van Winkle. “We’ve been working with a lot of agencies, county engineers, county sheriffs, townships, and cities as far as routing…In the next month we will be contacting sheriffs and police departments for law enforcement assistance along the routes,” she stated.
In the meantime, the CVB is looking for volunteer assistance to aid in food planning, camp ground logistics, entertainment, parade, emergency planning, and information. Those interested in volunteering should contact Miers at 419-525-1300.
Van Winkle noted that GOBA will rely on local businesses and nonprofits for resources. “We don’t bring in any outside food vendors; we use local nonprofits,” she said.
As noted on its website, “GOBA’s mission is to organize a yearly one-week bicycle vacation in order to inspire independence and nurture personal growth; to learn about Ohio, it’s people, geography, and history; to provide inter-generational recreation; to enhance the image of bicycling in Ohio; and to raise funds for bicycle-related projects in Ohio.”
“When GOBA started 26 years ago, we were pretty unique,” said Van Winkle. “In last 10-12 years, we’ve seen more bike tours…but there are many factors about GOBA that make it unique in the sense of the numbers that we attract, emphasis on family activity, and by being representative of the state.”
