![\"Bicyclists](\"https:\/\/www.thevwindependent.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/GOBA-promo-pic-11-2014.jpg\")
<\/a>The expected 2,500 riders will start gathering for the tour on Saturday, June 20, at Van Wert County Fairgrounds. They will begin cycling on Sunday, June 21, covering an average of 50 miles per day, and will overnight in 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.<\/p>\n
Some of the many attractions featured on this tour include Van Wert’s Antique Fire Equipment Museum, Delphos Canal Museum, Defiance Canal Park, Auglaize Village, Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center, factory tours, Independence Dam, Grand Rapids, Providence Metro Park (with a working mill), canal boat rides, Snook’s Dream Cars, the Putnam County Fair, Slippery Elm Trail, and other historic sites, covered bridges, and nature areas.<\/p>\n
The fun-filled week will include the traditional bicycle parade and gala opening ceremonies in Van Wert.<\/p>\n
Other activities include family-oriented entertainment each night; two layover days offering bicycle loops of 50 or 100 miles to Sauder Village, Port Clinton, Elmore Historic Train Depot and Schedel Gardens; swimming; optional excursions to Put-In-Bay, with a fast ride on Lake Erie aboard the Jet Express to the island delights, including Perry’s Monument, Crystal Cave, trolley rides, and Heineman\u2019s Winery, or a visit to Sauder Village and the Dum Dum Sucker factory; and the ever-popular GOBA Song Contest.<\/p>\n
Larry Lee, director of the Van Wert Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Adam Ries, Main Street Van Wert program manager, are serving as co-community coordinators for the Van Wert portion of the tour. Community participation, especially by local non-profit organizations, will be needed to make this an enjoyable stop for the GOBA riders.<\/p>\n
\u201cFood options, entertainment, and fairground logistics are a few of the areas where help will be necessary,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThis will be a great opportunity for some groups to raise money to help their organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n
More specific details will be available after the first of the new year, but both Lee and Ries are asking interested groups to begin discussions now regarding possible participation and to contact them know if the group is interested in helping. Lee can be reached at 419.238.9378 and Ries at 419.238.6911 or stop by their offices at 136 E. Main St.<\/p>\n
“The 2015 GOBA tour will as usual feature educational elements along with the fun activities,\u201d Gordon noted. \u201cAnd since we will be overnighting in three of Ohio’s college towns, that leads us to this year’s theme: \u2018GOBA U, Where You Can Get Your Cycology Major’.”<\/p>\n
Held annually in June, GOBA features bicycle touring at a leisurely pace, for approximately 50 miles per day for one week.\u00a0 This will be the 27th year for GOBA, which is owned and organized by Columbus Outdoor Pursuits, a non-profit organization, for the benefit of bicycle-related projects in Ohio.<\/p>\n
In 2014, 2,000 people from 38 states; the District of Columbia; Japan; Taiwan; and Manitoba and Quebec, Canada, took part in the tour. Included in this number were many families: nearly 20 percent of the participants are children traveling with their parents, making GOBA the largest family-oriented bicycle tour in the world.<\/p>\n
Over the past 26 years, GOBA has been instrumental in generating nearly $10 million in tourism revenues in the towns along the route, as well as in providing access to Ohio’s rural treasures to people from all over the country.<\/p>\n
“The people of the host towns of GOBA 2015 are eagerly awaiting the riders’ arrival,\u201d Gordon said. \u201cMany of them have had the GOBA experience in previous years and have enjoyed showing the best their towns had to offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the terrain in northwest Ohio is equally hospitable, making this event a real draw for families wanting a memorable vacation together,” he added.<\/p>\n