May 22, 2019

The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure is coming to Bowling Green! The Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (or GOBA) is an eight-day journey of fun and discovery for riders of all ages. This is the fifth time that GOBA is visiting Bowling Green. More than a thousand bike riders from across the country will visit Bowling Green in June for the event. The 31st annual tour will start and finish at the Wood County Fairgrounds. Cyclists will arrive in Bowling Green on Saturday, June 15, and begin their weeklong journey on Sunday morning by pedaling east to Fremont. They’ll also have overnight stops in Port Clinton and Oregon before returning to Bowling Green on Saturday, June 22nd. During the day, riders can sightsee or enjoy food along well-marked routes that have mechanical and medical support. Riding distances between host towns average about 50 miles per day, with cutoffs that reduce the routes to about 35 miles. The tour makes a large loop, with cyclists riding between 140 to 400 miles, depending on which routes and cutoffs they choose.

“GOBAville” (what GOBA riders call the campground) will open at noon Saturday, June 15. Activities are planned throughout the afternoon and early evening at the camp and in the Bowling Green community. This includes a downtown festival and a parade of bicycles decorated for GOBA’s “Come Sail Away” theme. Enjoy the music of Ginger & the Snaps, a band local to BG, a demonstration by The Right Direction: a BMX Bicycle Group, as well as local food trucks, ice cream, children’s activities, and more from 5-9pm. Food trucks include: Eric’s Ice Cream, Poppin’ George’s Kettle Korn, Rosie’s Rollin’ Chef, Sworden’s Smoke Barbecue, and Weenie Dawgs Concessions. Food trucks begin serving at 4:30 pm. We suggest that you watch the parade along Fairview Ave, specifically near City Park. The parade route and schedule for the Kickoff Celebration can be found below:

5:00 PM – Parade Starts
6:00 PM – Parade Contest Winners and Announcements
6:30 PM – The Right Direction BMX Demonstration
7:00 PM – Ginger and the Snaps Performance

We hope to see you at the Kickoff Celebration!

* In case of rain, the bike parade will be cancelled, but all other activities will be moved to the Wood County Pavilion at the Wood County Fairgrounds.