Mount Vernon News

MOUNT VERNON — Anyone driving anywhere near Mount Vernon on Monday was sure to see bicyclists. Over 2,500 riders invaded town as part of the 2008 Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure.

Riders from near and far made their way from Galion to Mount Vernon by way of Bellville, Butler and Fredericktown and set up camp at Mount Vernon High School. “GOBAville” as it’s called is a tent city and home to the riders for the next two days.

“The third time is the charm,” said GOBA director Julie Van Winkle of the tour’s third stop in Mount Vernon. “It has always been good here. Knox County has some fabulous biking venues with the roadways and the bike paths. It is just gorgeous here. The riders love the scenery and the hospitality of Mount Vernon really makes it for us.”

For GOBA to be a success, it takes many, many hours of hard work from countless volunteers. From the set-up of the tent city until the riders leave town, volunteers are hard at work.

“We got here about six o’clock this morning and had a couple of guys from the wrestling squad help us out,” said GOBA co-Service Director Nathan Renkes. “We went around and painted the fire lanes, put up signs and got things ready. It usually takes about four or five hours to get everything set up, but even then, we are still tweaking it.”

Renkes and other volunteers travel ahead of the riders to ensure everything is set when the riders arrive.

“When everybody comes in, they are hot and tired and we have to take that into consideration,” said Renkes. “We have to be ready with what we are supposed to have as far as health regulations or campground regulations.”

Coordinating support for nearly 3,000 people is no easy task. Preparation is the key. Riders must prepare their gear each day before they hit the road and load it so it makes it to the next destination.

“We have four 52-foot semitrailers and they are color-coded. When the riders register, they receive a tag that assigns them to a specific trailer,” said Renkes. “The trailers are open as soon as the riders wake up in the morning. They can load their gear either before breakfast or after. As long as it is on there by 8:45 or 9 a.m., it will reach its next destination. They are responsible for finding their bags once they reach the next stop. We usually have football teams, Boy Scouts, wrestling teams or other volunteers to help. Normally we camp at schools, fairgrounds or city parks.”

Support for the riders is a key concern for Van Winkle. Not only do things need to be set when the riders arrive, but the riders need to be taken care of while in transit.

“We have a crew of volunteers who staff the information booth and set up the campgrounds,” said Van Winkle. “Then we have a whole slew of volunteers who perform route support services. All together from our end, we have about 80 volunteers who travel with us throughout the week.

“We could not run GOBA without our route support volunteers. There are things like SAG drivers. A lot of people may not know what SAG means. It’s the people who drive cars and monitor where the riders are on the course. They keep track of riders who have broken down and can’t continue riding that day, and they give them a ride — or a sag — into the campground. We also have medical volunteers out on the road as well as bike repair vendors and communications volunteers.”

“We probably have 120 year-round staff, and that’s not including the SAG drivers that come along with us. We also have the medical teams that volunteer with us,” said Renkes.

“We wouldn’t be able to do this without the volunteers,” added Renkes. “With the amount of work that has to be done to support 2,500 to 3,000 people, you really need a lot of help.”

Locally, support is also crucial. GOBA chooses its destinations based upon the community’s support.

“From start to finish, there is a core group of 15 to 20 folks who are at the center of this,” said Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Pat Crow. “They help with the organizational aspects the whole year. When it comes to the actual event, we multiply that. Just in the welcome tent alone we have about 40 volunteers working. All told, we have over 100 people involved in one form or another. Then you start counting the local Lions Club, who is doing the food, and it is hundreds of people that it takes to put it on.”

Those hundreds of people work in cooperation with GOBA volunteers to ensure a successful tour.

“GOBA has always been a partnership,” said Van Winkle. “From what we organize on our end and the communities, that partnership is hard because we are working from different angles. We’ve got a lot of volunteers on both ends, but when all is said and done, it is really the best of both worlds. The local volunteers are really the experts in what the town has to offer, and we know the bicyclists and how to run a bicycle tour.”

“GOBA and the local committees work closely together,” Crow said. “When you have almost 3,000 people coming to your town, you have to make sure there is plenty to eat. Obviously, you have the logistical part of the campground, but these people are in town for two days and they won’t want to sit here for two days. We tried to lay out a variety of entertainment options. We had the existing options and added to that. We offered them a special to Hiawatha Park. ... We are going to have the criterion bike race downtown (today). We will have music and entertainment at both venues. It is three dimensional.”

Tonight’s racing will begin at 6 in downtown Mount Vernon.