The Van Wert County Courthouse

Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025

Thousands of bikes to converge on VW

VW independent/submitted information

On Saturday, June 20, more than 2,000 bicyclists will converge on the Van Wert County Fairgrounds to begin the 27th annual Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA), a weeklong tour of northwest Ohio.

GOBA logo 6-2015Participants will come from almost every state in the nation, as well as several foreign countries. They will travel 50 miles per day over Ohio’s wonderful rural roads, visiting tourist attractions and enjoying the countryside.

Van Wert was selected to be the host town for this year’s event, meaning the tour will begin here and end here a week later on Saturday, June 27.  Riders will be arriving shortly before noon and will be treated to various entertainment at the fairground, as well as being shuttled to the aqua park at Camp Clay, the Children’s Garden, downtown, the historical museum and the Town Centre shopping area.

GOBA riders like to explore the communities they pass through, and so expect lots of unfamiliar faces around town.  Restaurants and retail shops should expect brisk business. Many communities from past tours have experienced long lines and shortages of food, but at the same admit that the GOBA weekend was one of their most profitable.

Other communities visited during the week will include Bluffton on Sunday, Defiance on Monday and Tuesday, Bowling Green on Wednesday and Thursday, Ottawa on Friday and back to Van Wert on Saturday.

For the cyclists, friendly waves from residents, running sprinklers aimed over part of the street (if it’s hot), and homemade signs will be wonderful “welcomes” and “send-offs.” If the little kids are outside in the neighborhoods, they always bring smiles and encouragement to the riders. There will be a bike parade on Saturday, beginning at 6:15 p.m. Many of the bicycles will be decorated and some of the riders will dress in costumes reflecting this year’s theme: “GOBA U Cycology Major”.  The parade route will run from the Fairgrounds via Park Street, north to Boyd Avenue, Elm Street, South Avenue, Jefferson Street and ending at Fountain Park. The community is encouraged to line the parade route and cheer on the cyclists.  There will be an opening ceremony at Fountain Park starting at 6:30 that evening, preceded by a concert performed by the Community Band. The opening ceremony will be followed by a Saturday concert in the park (notice the change from the normal Friday night concert) by Blue Moon Swamp, a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band — a concert certain to be enjoyed by all.

The GOBA tour actually begins on Sunday. While some of the GOBA riders will leave as early as the sun comes up, the majority will gradually ride out during the morning hours. GOBA officials state all riders should be on their way by 9:30 a.m.

Bicyclists will be traveling Hospital Drive to Greenville Road, then south to Collins Road, east to Mendon Road, south to State Road and then on to Delphos. Area residents who live along GOBA’s route are encouraged to place signs out in their yards in support of the riders, or even cheer them on.  GOBA officials say the best encouragement for riding 50-60 miles per day comes from the support riders receive along the route.

As one can imagine, a group this size requires a lot of support. As the riders pass, area residents will see ambulances, ham radio volunteers, bike shops, police and other support vehicles following them. The local organizing committee has been working on preparations since December 2014.  Host Town Coordinators are Larry Lee and Pete Weir, while other committee chairs include Ann Marshall and Larry Webb, Campground Logistics; Rick McCoy, Emergency Planning; Erika Wise, Entertainment; Jeanne Zeigler and Marlene Follas, Food; Jerry Mazur, Transportation; and Martha Balyeat, Local Information Booth.

The riders also depend on the services in the areas through which they pass. The tour does pre-arrange for three food stops with local non-profit groups about every 15 miles along the way:  a morning snack, lunch and an afternoon snack. However, riders look for additional snacks and beverages to keep their energy levels up for the entire route. Area residents are encouraged to be of help, while restaurants and groceries are also urged to be open and to expect some riders to stop.

Ohio can be hot during June, so this makes plenty of drinking water crucial to a safe bicycle ride. Although water is distributed at several places along the route, it may not be where the riders need it. Therefore, the most welcome sight to GOBA riders is a “Free Drinking Water” sign in a front yard or front window. This need not be anything more than a spigot where riders can fill water bottles. Many youngsters do this at their homes, which gives them the chance to meet people from all over the world, and the satisfaction of knowing they have helped out.

On an especially hot, sunny day, riders also appreciate a shady spot to sit in a yard, as well as children with hoses along the road spraying them with cool water as they pass. Of course, youngsters should ask riders if they want squirted first! Those offering water should put up a sign to that effect just before their location, to give bicyclists time to slow down and stop.

GOBA also encourages things like kids’ lemonade stands. The riders are delighted to see those and will gratefully take a break to buy a drink and take a rest, especially if there is shade to offer in the yard. GOBA doesn’t encourage sandwiches or more elaborate foods because of the pre-arranged food stops.

Also, if area residents can possibly avoid driving on the bicyclists’ route during the day, that will lessen congestion on the roads. If, however, people must drive on the same route as the cyclists, GOBA asks that they use extra caution in approaching and passing cyclists.

Another request is to keep pets on a leash or in other confinement for the day the tour passes. This will add greatly to the pleasant biking experience.

Again, any sign of welcome people might want to make would delight the bicyclists. After all, they are here to learn about rural Ohio, and this area. The best way to do this is to talk with the people that live here. Therefore, GOBA encourages people to bring out lawn chairs and invite cyclists to sit for a while and talk. GOBA riders always think this is the best part of the tour, and local residents that do that seem to really enjoy it too!

The same is true when bicyclists return to Van Wert on Saturday, June 27.  The planned route will have them entering Van Wert County from the north on Converse-Roselm Road, south to Middle Point Road, west to Mendon Road, south to Collins Road, west to Grenville Road and then entering the Fairgrounds from Fox Road.

The GOBA tour is owned and organized by Columbus Outdoor Pursuits, a non-profit organization, for the benefit of bicycle-related projects in Ohio. Considered the largest family-oriented bicycle tour in the world, nearly 20 percent of the participants are children traveling with their parents.

For more information on the organization visit its website at www.goba.com.  Local questions can be directed to the Van Wert Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at 419.238.9378.

POSTED: 06/12/15 at 7:30 am. FILED UNDER: News