Great Ohio Bike Adventure (GOBA)

As soon as I received confirmation that I could have the time off work, I booked GOBA, it is an organized ride in Ohio with approximately 1500 to 2500 other cyclists. We have done this ride three times before and met some great people. Most notably are Richard and Beverley, Richard commented regularly on our Grand Adventure. We didn’t tell them we would be at GOBA, we wanted to surprise them.

We headed south on Saturday June 18, 2016 and made really good time to Hamilton, Ohio. Ralf used his new GPS and it worked perfectly, it took us approximately 9 hours to get there. We join the Dayton Cycling Club and are able to enjoy their SAG wagon they provide shade awnings, cold drinks and snacks at the end of each days ride. We also enjoy the company of some really nice people and have some good discussions.

As the drive down took us 9 hours, and I wasn’t scheduled to work on the Sunday, Ralf suggested we stop and have a visit with his Dad and Margaret on the way back. They live in London and it would break the drive back. Fortunately, they were going to be home and we could have a nice visit with them before heading home on Sunday.

Beverley surprised us at the GOBA registration tent. We were picking up our information package when I was tapped on my shoulder, big hugs all around. Beverley is volunteering with the GOBA organization this week and may ride part of the ride, but not everyday.

Sunday June 19, 2016 – Hamilton to Eaton 77 kms

First day of GOBA, I hope I am ready for the distances. Although I have been cycling to work (12 kms return) the longest distance I have ridden is 70 ks! because of our weather and work schedule it has been difficult for me to get any time on the bike for the longer distances.

Of course while on the Grand Adventure we found that most campsites are located near train tracks. Although last night we were camping in a Fairground, we were located near train tracks. At 3:00 in the morning we were woken by two musical trains. Maybe it was Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends talking to each other.

We were awake at 5:30 and on the road by 7:00. We had breakfast of egg & cheese on a bun with coffee $8.00 for two.

We are back on our road bikes and trying not to go back to the “heads down and go” mentality, but the bikes just want to go.  We did stop and take some photos.

The route today was hilly leaving Hamilton with some good short steep climbs. The flatter section came at the right time, as I was getting a little tired from the hills. The weather was hot, but for the most part the roads were shaded.

GOBA organizes three rest stops – the local schools, fire departments, clubs stock and man the rest stops as fund raisers for their organizations. The nice thing is that the prices are reasonable – 0.50cents for a banana, pasta salad $1.50 for a small container, PB & J sandwiches for a dollar.

We finished the ride in Eaton at about 11:30. After setting up the tent we relaxed for a while under the Dayton shade awnings and had a cold iced tea. The High School allowed us to use the indoor showers, which were very “refreshing” – cool.

After my shower I was combing my hair in front of the only mirror in the changing rooms, when a taller woman stood behind me to comb her hair at the same time. I commented on the fact that she made me feel very small by doing that – she apologized and then realized I was joking and we had a laugh about the convenience of our height difference.

The schools/campsites are often located on the outskirts of the Town. GOBA puts on school bus shuttles to take us to local attractions and the downtown of the area where we are staying. We headed downtown, most of the stores were closed so we window-shopped for an hour or so. We saw a covered bridge which we will cycle past tomorrow. This bridge is the oldest double covered bridge in Ohio.