The Great Ohio Bike Adventure (GOBA) will kick off their week-long event in Mansfield in 2014. The Mansfield/Richland County Convention & Visitors Bureau (M/RCVB) has been working with GOBA and the Richland County Fairgrounds on plans for the Mansfield portion of the tour. “GOBA is an Ohio tradition and Mansfield is pleased to be included in the much-anticipated route that brings thousands of bicycle enthusiasts to town,” said Lee Tasseff, CVB President.
Julie Van Winkle, Director of The 26th Annual Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA), announced today that the 2014 tour, June 14-21, will feature a route in the northeastern quadrant of Ohio. The expected 2,500 riders will start gathering for the tour on Saturday, June 14, at the Richland County Fairgrounds in Mansfield. They will begin cycling on Sunday, June 15, covering an average of 50 miles per day, and will overnight in Orrville on Sunday, Coshocton on Monday and Tuesday, Mount Vernon on Wednesday and Thursday, Bucyrus on Friday, and will return to Mansfield on Saturday, June 21.
“Since the event starts and ends in Mansfield, we’ll have an even greater opportunity to welcome GOBA participants and showcase the county’s events, attractions, recreation, lodging, and shopping”, said Tasseff. “Since the event happens in mid June, this gives riders plenty of time to return to Mansfield with family and friends during the summer.
The CVB will have an area info booth, manned by CVB staff and volunteers, at the fairgrounds to help riders find things to do before and after their tour,” according to Kim Miers, CVB Marketing / Meetings Director. “Mansfield has been a stop on the tour before, but hasn’t been the launching point since 1996. Many riders will camp at the fairgrounds, but there will also be those utilizing local hotels before taking off on Sunday,” Miers concluded.
Area bike enthusiasts are invited to contact the CVB about joining the local GOBA committee. Many hands are needed to execute all the plans and activities that will happen during the time the group is in Mansfield. Contact Kim Miers at 419-525-1300, ext. 26.
“The 2014 GOBA tour features the theme ‘Take a Ride on the Wild Side!’ and offers a ride that promises to be a little bit hilly, a little bit wild, a lot family-friendly, and 100% joy,” Van Winkle stated.
Held annually in June, GOBA features bicycle touring at a leisurely pace, for approximately 50 miles per day for one week. This will be the twenty-sixth year for GOBA. In 2013, 2,300 people from 40 states; the District of Columbia; Japan; Switzerland; and Manitoba, Ontario, and Nova Scotia, Canada, took part in the tour. Included in this number were many families: nearly 20% of the participants are children traveling with their parents, making GOBA the largest family-oriented bicycle tour in the world.
Those interested in receiving registration information and tour details can request a brochure by calling 614-273-0811, or by visiting the website at www.goba.com. Brochures will also be available by February in many Ohio bicycle shops. Advance registration is required with a deadline of May 14, 2014.
