2022 ROUTE HIGHLIGHTS
GOBA offers seven days of scenic cycling on paved, low-traffic roads. Support includes food stops about every 15-20 miles; SAG, mechanical and medical services; and pavement markings and maps (digital and paper).
A new format, introduced in 2019, proved popular and has returned in 2022. One of the three “mandatory” riding days will have a supported shortcut, and all four layover days offer optional routes.
The final routes are HERE. Among the highlights:
- THREE “MANDATORY” DAYS: Riding on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday is required as we move from one overnight town to the next. Routes are about 50 miles on Monday and Wednesday. The Monday route has about a 13-mile shortcut, but there are no shortcuts on Wednesday (49 miles) and Saturday (30 miles). The Saturday route is short to help everyone get back to their cars in Sidney a little early and begin the journey home.
- FOUR OPTIONAL DAYS: Cyclists can choose to pedal more miles or take a break and explore the host town. Layover day loops of about 50 miles will take riders to Versailles on Sunday, New Bremen (bicycle museum) on Tuesday and Gettysburg on Thursday. The optional ride on Friday is a 100-mile loop to the northeast of Troy with a 50-mile cutoff.
- TERRAIN: Flat to rolling, with some climbs out of river valleys and a few small hills near Troy and on the optional century route. A good workout, but nothing extreme.
- MILEAGE FOR THE WEEK: Minimum about 125, maximum about 400.
The daily itinerary:
Saturday, June 18: Sidney
— Arrive early and explore the local trails. Ride or walk downtown and enjoy a festival with arts, music and food.
Sunday, June 19: Layover day in Sidney (optional loop)
— 50 miles, west to lunch at Versailles High School.
Monday, June 20: Sidney to Wapakoneta
— 42-mile short and 55-mile long routes. Airstream is helping sponsors lunch in Jackson Center, and riders can visit the Airstream Heritage Center (small fee). The long route includes the town of Lakeview on Indian Lake.
Tuesday, June 21: Layover day in Wapakoneta
— 46 miles, west to include Grand Lake St. Marys and lunch in New Bremen, home of The Bicycle Museum of America.
Wednesday, June 22: Wapakoneta to Troy
— 49 miles, south with a lunch at Canalplace in downtown Piqua. No supported shortcut, but cyclists can follow the paved Great Miami River Trail from Piqua to Troy unsupported. The Anna Historical Center, near our AM snack stop at St. Jacob Lutheran Church, will be open for riders from 9-11 a.m.
Thursday, June 23: Layover day in Troy (optional loop)
— 58 miles, west to the Gettysburg area with sections along the Greenville Creek, including Bear’s Mill. Lunch is at Oakland Church of the Brethren, north of Gettysburg. We’ll dodge the road construction in Covington for a PM snack stop that features two new downtown restaurants, Boscoe’s Place and Glacier Village Coffee.
Friday, June 24: Layover day in Troy (optional loop)
— 100-mile “century” ride to the northeast of Troy, with a 50-mile cutoff loop. The 50-mile riders will visit Harmon Park in St. Paris once for lunch, and the 100-mile riders twice.
Saturday, June 25: Troy to Sidney
— 30 miles to finish where we started. No shortcut. Lockington features a series of restored canal locks, and the local fire station will serve grilled chicken dinners for lunch.
Route details and mileages are approximate and subject to change.
2022 CAMPGROUNDS
- Saturday & Sunday nights, June 18-19: Sidney, Shelby County Fairgrounds – 655 S Highland Ave, Sidney, OH 45365
- Monday & Tuesday nights, June 20-21: Wapakoneta, Auglaize County Fairgrounds – 1001 Fairview Dr, Wapakoneta, OH 45895
- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, June 22-24: Troy, City Park – 200 Adams St, Troy, OH 45373
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FOOD STOPS
Food stops on GOBA are offered mostly in conjunction with nonprofit community groups as well as some restaurants. In some locations, there is not an “official” food stop, but the route goes through towns where riders can find convenience stores, etc. for FOYO (food on your own). We try to limit the number of FOYO stops, though this year the pandemic and shortages of volunteers have led some community groups to turn down selling food and drinks, though they’ve been generous about letting GOBA set up portable toilets and a water station at their properties.
The food stop hours that community groups set are calculated on when a rider who leaves the GOBA camp between 7-9 a.m. might reach the stop if riding at an average speed of around 16-18 mph. Riders who leave before 7 a.m. and pedal fast might find that stops are not open when they arrive. Similarly, the closing time of each stop is based on the 5 p.m. cutoff time for support on the routes.
Best advice: Be sure to carry a little more food in your pockets and fluid in your bottles than you think you might need!
For a two-page pdf that lists the food stops in a grid, CLICK HERE. Also, the clicking on the food icons in the RWGPS maps also shows more details about each stop. Note: The online pdf of the grid was updated June 17 with new information about the afternoon snack stops Monday in Lakeview (long route) and Thursday in Covington. The new details won’t be on the paper grid you receive in your packet, which was printed earlier in the week. But you can print the updated grid before you come to GOBA, or save the pdf on your phone.
DOWNLOAD THE GOBA MAPS – Let’s Ride!
DIGITAL NAVIGATION
Each day’s Ride With GPS files for your bike computer or phone are hosted on Ride with GPS. All routes (for GPS download) are compiled in one event page here! (Note that the slight updates were made June 17 to the Monday long route in Lakeview and Thursday route in Covington.)
EASY-TO-PRINT PDFS FOR PAPER MAPS
SUNDAY: 50 mile loop to Versailles – click here for map
MONDAY: 55 miles to Wapakoneta – click here for map
41 miles to Wapakoneta – click here for map
TUESDAY: 46 mile loop to New Bremen – click here for map
WEDNESDAY: 49 miles to Troy – click here for map
THURSDAY: 58 mile loop to Gettysburg – click here for map (updated June 17)
FRIDAY LOOP 1: 49 miles to St. Paris – click here for map
FRIDAY LOOP 2 (CENTURY RIDERS): 53 mile loop map – click here for map
SATURDAY: 30 miles to Sidney – click here for map
FOOD STOPS: PDF GRID THAT LISTS THE STOPS (updated June 17)
MANDATORY SAFETY PLEDGE: All registrants must turn in a signed Safety Pledge form in order to pick up their packet. The second page of the form has the Event Liability Waiver, which also must be signed before you can receive a packet. The combined pledge/waiver form will be available to sign at check-in in Sidney, or you can download it here to print, sign and take to Sidney. Thanks for your cooperation!
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SAFETY SHOW: The footage may be vintage, but the advice in this GOBA Safety Show video at https://youtu.be/lgOO_wT2Ri4 is just as relevant today as when it was filmed circa 1990. (Thanks to David Jeffords for digitizing it!) The Safety Show will be offered Saturday and Sunday during check-in at GOBA camp in Sidney before riders hit the road for the 32nd annual Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure.