FEES, DEADLINES AND POLICIES

All registration for the Western Ohio Bicycle Adventure is online and must be completed by midnight on May 15, 2021, or when we reach our limit of 500 participants, whichever comes first.

Registration fees
The Western Ohio Bicycle Adventure has these two fee categories for 2021:

Discount rates for Group 1 and Group 2 holders of GOBA 2020 deferments:   

• $240 for ages 16 and up from March 1 to May 15, 2021, or until the 500-rider limit is reached
• $90 for ages 6-15 from March 1 to May 15, 2021, or until the 500-rider limit is reached
• $0 for ages 2-5 from March 1 to May 15, 2021, or until the 500-rider limit is reached

Open rates for non-holders of GOBA 2020 deferments:

• $350 for ages 16 and up from April 1-15, and $400 from April 16 to May 15, or until the 500-rider limit is reached
• $90 for ages 6-15 from April 1 to May 15, or until the 500-rider limit is reached
• $0 for ages 2-5 from April 1 to May 15, or until the 500-rider limit is reached

Group 1 includes deferment holders who originally registered for the canceled GOBA 2020 from Nov. 25 to Dec. 31, 2019. Group 1 also includes all-year GOBA riders, and GOBA 2020 registrants who donated their GOBA 2020 registration fee (or an equivalent) to Outdoor Pursuits before Dec. 31, 2020. Members of Group 1 are guaranteed a spot on WOBA if they sign up by March 31, 2021.

Group 2 consists of deferment holders who originally registered for GOBA 2020 on or after Jan. 1, 2020. They are NOT guaranteed a spot in WOBA and must sign up for the wait-list by March 31, 2021. If any of the 500 spots in WOBA are not claimed by Group 1 as of April 1, 2021, an equivalent number of people on the Group 2 wait-list will be notified on April 1, 2021, that they have until April 15, 2021, to register for those spots. The wait-list order will be determined by the date the deferment holder signed up for GOBA 2020 (not when they signed up for the wait-list). The earlier the GOBA 2020 registration, the higher the spot on the WOBA wait-list. People on the wait-list are NOT obligated to buy a registration if they make the cut. (Update: Everyone on the wait-list made the cut and will be able to register by April 15 for a guaranteed spot.)

If any spots in WOBA are available after April 1, they will be made available first-come, first-served to anyone during the open registration period April 1 to May 15, 2021, or until all spots are filled. (Update: Spots were available for open registration on April 1.) All registrants during that period will pay the open rate ($350 for adults through April 15, and $400 after that) except for Group 1 and Group 2 deferment holders; they will receive the discount rate ($240 for adults) regardless of when they register, if spots are available.

After you register, you will receive an acknowledgement email with links to other forms you need to complete — including a form for medical and emergency contact information. You may receive other emails that include links to add-on options that you can reserve separately. Please read all WOBA emails carefully.

Your rider packet — with bike number plate, wristband, vehicle pass, etc. — will be at check-in in Sidney.

Children
Each child ages 2-15 must be registered separately. Age is based on what a child’s age will be as of June 19, 2021. Children under age 2 may not ride on a bike or in a bike trailer on WOBA.  In order to be a GOBA participant who rides on or is pulled by a bicycle, a child must reach their 2nd birthday by June 19, 2021. Note the age restriction does not apply to registered children in a car, accompanying other registered riders. Also be advised, GOBA volunteer support vehicles do not carry child-safety seats.

GOBA 2020 deferments
While a 2020 Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure deferment can’t be used for a fully paid registration for WOBA, Columbus Outdoor Pursuits is offering eligibility for priority signup and discount rates for WOBA as an expression of our gratitude for the patience and support of GOBA 2020 registrants, who received no refund. (Deadlines and other restrictions are detailed above.)

Regardless of whether they participate in WOBA, the deferment holders will retain their deferment to use for a fully paid registration in a GOBA of their choice in 2022, 2023 or 2024. GOBA plans to return to Sidney, Wapakoneta, Versailles and Troy for GOBA 2022; the locations of the other future GOBAs are still to be determined.

The deferment holder is the person who purchased the original GOBA 2020 registration (or received it in a transfer), and he or she holds one deferment for each GOBA 2020 registration that was purchased. The deferment holder can buy an equivalent number of registrations for WOBA. Although the deferment holder must make the registration purchase, the other participants need not be the same people the purchaser registered for GOBA 2020. For example, a mother who has two deferments — one for herself and one for her child — can substitute a different child or adult as her second registrant for WOBA and pay the applicable registration fee.

Deferment transfers, including sales
Deferment holders may transfer their deferment to another person at any time before the deadline for each GOBA. Terms of any sale are between the buyer and seller, and Columbus Outdoor Pursuits takes no responsibility for the transaction. The transfer isn’t recognized until the original holder submits the online GOBA Deferment Transfer Form, at no cost. The transferee will be notified that he or she may use the deferment for GOBA 2022, 2023 or 2024.

For a transferee to register for WOBA, the transfer form must be submitted by the seller by April 15, 2021. The new holder of the deferment then must register for WOBA by April 30, 2021, in order to receive a guaranteed spot and the $240 adult rate. (A transferee can attempt to register after April 30 at the $240 rate if there are openings but isn’t guaranteed a spot.)

For more information about deferment transfers — and a list of deferments that are for sale — please visit www.goba.com/woba-deferment-transfers-2021 .

Refunds
Refund requests must be sent via email to goba@outdoor-pursuits.org by April 30, 2021. Refunds will be granted up to that date, minus a $55 processing fee. No refunds after April 30, 2021, for any reason.

Cancellations
There will be no guaranteed refunds of payments for registration or camping services in the event of cancellation due to natural disaster, acts of God, acts of terrorism, epidemics or pandemics.

However, Columbus Outdoor Pursuits, at its own option, may issue a registration deferment to a future Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, or issue a WOBA registration refund to those who hold a GOBA 2020 deferment.

Other terms
All registrations are for the entire week — no partial-week registrations. All participants must register, whether or not they are bicycling. Each registrant must turn in during check-in a signed and completed Liability Waiver, Indemnification Agreement, Permission to Provide Medical Treatment and Publicity Release (custodial parent or legal guardian signs for entrants under 18).

Registrations are not accepted without payment or a certificate.