SIDNEY — The Western Ohio Bicycle Adventure and as many as 500 cyclists will visit Wapakoneta as well as Sidney, Versailles, and Troy from June 19 to 26.
The tour will use a hub-and-spoke route format, with cyclists riding 50-mile loops on seven days, and the option for 100 miles on one of the days. Participants will have their vehicles throughout the event and drive from overnight town to overnight town.
The Western Ohio Bicycle Adventure is a 2021-only replacement for the much larger Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, which is not feasible because of health considerations. GOBA will be fully reinstated for 2022 for a tour of the same towns visited this year, so Wapakoneta and Sidney will enjoy GOBA again. WOBA and GOBA are organized by Outdoor Pursuits, based in Columbus.
The camps will have showers, toilets, tent and towel service, RV parking, a bike mechanic and limited food sales. The vehicles will make it easy for participants to access lodging, food, entertainment, services and shopping in the communities. Increased sanitizing, facial-covering and social distancing will be practiced in the camps, food stops and other WOBA venues. The cyclists will arrive in Wapakoneta on Sunday afternoon, June 20, and leave on Tuesday, June 22.
“We’re looking forward to hosting WOBA in 2021 and GOBA in 2022, welcoming hundreds of guests to our beautiful, historic community. We appreciate the tour organizer’s interest in a fun, safe experience. The committee, many volunteers, and I will do what we need to to make Wapakoneta the best stop on the route,” said Rachel Barber, lead organizer for the Wapakoneta tour stop.
Jeff Raible, Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce president, is excited with the news that the bicycle adventure will still include Sidney.
“The Sidney Visitors Bureau is again thrilled to be participating in the 2021 Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure, branded this year only as the Western Ohio Bicycle Adventure. We anxiously look forward to welcoming the riders participating in this year’s event,” said Raible,
“Our guests are expected to arrive in Sidney as early as Saturday, June 19, with additional participants arriving Sunday morning, June 20, to begin the first leg of their trip. Sunday will offer a 50-mile out and back to Sidney ride after which participants may choose to remain in Sidney for the afternoon before driving their vehicles to Wapak for an overnight stay and preparation for their next bicycling excursion beginning bright and early Monday morning.
“As you might expect, it takes the involvement of many to serve as a host city for an event of this magnitude. The Sidney Visitors Bureau is grateful for assistance being offered by the Shelby County Fair Board, Sidney Alive, the Shelby County Health Department, Sidney Police, Fire & Emergency Services who along with others will be serving in key roles to organize, entertain, and safely accommodate this year’s riders,” said Raible.
More information can be found at goba.com. Those with questions or who are interested in helping can contact Barber, 419-738-4924.
