While traveling along southeastern Ohio’s backcountry roads this June, be on the lookout for cyclists—a lot of them. Approximately 2,500 to 3,000 people are expected to ride in the 22nd Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, traversing more than 200 miles through Hocking, Morgan, Washington, Athens and Vinton counties. From a distance, as cyclists go up and down the hills, they resemble ants working their way along the mountainside, says Athens resident David West, a long-time GOBA participant. “It’s really like the ‘ants go marching one-by-one,’” he jokes.
From children as young as 5 to grandparents, GOBA riders come from various backgrounds and from all over Ohio—some even come from across the country. They all have two things in common: their sense of camaraderie and willingness to participate in GOBA over and over again.
Organized by Columbus Outdoor Pursuits, GOBA is a weeklong trip where participants bike 40 to 60 miles each day to assorted towns and camp at fairgrounds, schools or hotels. This year’s route will begin in Logan and will continue to McConnelsville, Marietta, Athens and McArthur, ending in Logan.
Layovers will occur in Marietta and Athens so riders have an extra day to visit the towns or bike along additional routes. Marietta is known for its historic Harmar Village, a shopper’s paradise, and its numerous sternwheeler boat excursions, just minutes away from the rest area at Marietta College. In Athens, participants will stay at the Athens Community Center and can enjoy art displays at the Dairy Barn Cultural Arts Center or scenic walks around Ohio University and The Ridges, an abandoned mental asylum featuring impressive architecture and landscapes. For most of the cities, this is the second or third time that GOBA has come through, says GOBA director Julie Van Winkle.
Showers, a place to rest, food, entertainment and free massages await the bicyclists at each destination. Stops along the routes also are arranged so that riders can rest at various diners or parks.
GOBA is not a race or competition, nor is it considered an exercise regimen. While the thought of biking such long distances for five days might seem daunting to some people, GOBA participants see the adventure as an opportunity to explore regions of Ohio they would normally miss. To them, GOBA is a vacation.
“It’s a great way to see the state of Ohio and be closer than just driving down the road in a car,” says David, who has participated in nearly six GOBAs with his three sons. “It’s empowering, especially for my kids, to sit here and say, ‘We’re going to ride 60 miles in a day.’ They think nothing of it now. They look forward to it, and they’ve made some great friends from all over the state of Ohio.”
Julie, who has directed GOBA since 1998, has watched countless children grow over the years and says they seem to have a real sense of accomplishment after completing the weeklong challenge.
While GOBA is fun and relaxing for the participants, a lot of work goes into making each year a success. Planning usually starts a year before the actual event, with a lot of criteria going into the selection process for the host towns. “I wish we could go to every great town [in Ohio],” Julie says, but the towns need to contain enough smooth, low-traffic roads to travel upon and be able to provide enough food and shelter for the riders and volunteers. “If we don’t select a certain town for the route, it’s not a fault of that town.”
For the towns that are selected, GOBA is a great opportunity to showcase local food, venders and attractions, providing an economic boost for small towns. Bruce Knox, a town coordinator for McArthur, says that the population triples when GOBA comes into town.
Bruce’s mother kept newspaper clippings from GOBA’s first visit to McArthur in 1997. Then-director Tom Barlow called McArthur that trip’s high point. Barlow said people were concerned there would not be anything to do because the town is so small, but he later received apologies from skeptics. According to the clippings, McArthur’s hospitable residents and the entertainment provided (local storytellers and musicians) were what participants appreciated most. One biker even claimed feeling like a “returning war hero” from the warm welcome he received—so many American flags and welcome posters had been draped and plastered to the town’s red brick buildings.
In a town with only a handful of restaurants, it is no surprise people had doubts about McArthur, Bruce says. “I’m just happy with the fact that they want to come back.” With the help of the town’s resourceful individuals, mainly local venders and church groups, Bruce says he hopes to polish what has already been done so that riders feel the same way they did in 1997.
As the final overnight stop, McArthur will host the event’s finale, a song contest at Vinton County High School’s football field. For the contest, which has been a GOBA tradition for years, participants submit songs or music about their experiences.
GOBA would not be the wonderful event it is without the support it receives from the host towns, Julie says. This includes the volunteers along the routes, the police officers who help direct traffic on the busier roads and the town coordinators who oversee the arrangements of showers, campgrounds and entertainment. “There are so many great people in Ohio,” she says.
Not to mention the cyclists themselves. David says there have been instances where he needed to fix his bike along the route, but someone always has a spare part. “It’s like being out on a bike ride with 2,999 of your best friends.”