Bicycle tour to roll into town Monday



Bicycle tour to roll into town Monday MOUNT VERNON — The 20th Annual Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure will be rolling into town Monday, bringing a projected 2,500 riders for a two-night stay, which will include a downtown bike race on Tuesday. The tour is a weeklong event, starting and ending in the village of Wellington in Huron County. According to Pat Crow of the Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tour will attract bicyclists from 38 states and several foreign countries. “This is actually the third visit for GOBA,” Crow said, noting that the tour’s last visit to the county was in 1999. Area drivers should be aware that the riders will be heading into the county mid- to late Monday morning. According to GOBA director Julie Van Winkle, the bikes will leave Galion, in Crawford County, then proceed east to Lexington, where they will pick up the B&O Bike Trail which will take them to Butler, in southern Richland County. From Butler, the riders will follow several county and local roads down to Fredericktown, then proceed south on Upper Fredericktown Road into Mount Vernon. Pack leaders could appear by or even before 10 a.m. Monday, with the rest of the bicyclists following. The GOBA camp will be on the campus of Mount Vernon High School and Middle School. GOBA participants will spend the night in Mount Vernon, visiting local attractions. A shuttle bus will run bikers from the camp to downtown, Hiawatha Park, Coshocton Avenue and other locations. The number of visitors spreading throughout town will benefit the local economy both in immediate terms and in a long-term way, according to Crow. “Being an economic development organization as a visitors bureau, we’re always concerned about prosperity and the things that make the economic engine percolate,” Crow said. “Having a group like GOBA come through allows us to put our best foot forward. It helps the ‘branding’ of the community and gives people a positive experience to tell about when they go home.” Parking meters on the square will be bagged to prohibit parking starting Monday evening at 5 p.m., with Public Square itself closing at 11:30 p.m. The square and streets south and west of the square will be closed at different points during the day Tuesday for a downtown block party and a number of bike races, which will include a children’s race and general race open to the public. Public Square, the first two blocks of South Main and the two blocks of Vine Street from Mulberry to Gay streets will remain closed until midnight. GOBA will leave Mount Vernon Wednesday morning on the Kokosing Gap Bike Trail. The tour will follow the bike path to Howard, then follow the Kokosing out of the county toward Coshocton.	Advertisement

MOUNT VERNON — The 20th Annual Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure will be rolling into town Monday, bringing a projected 2,500 riders for a two-night stay, which will include a downtown bike race on Tuesday.

The tour is a weeklong event, starting and ending in the village of Wellington in Huron County. According to Pat Crow of the Knox County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the tour will attract bicyclists from 38 states and several foreign countries.

“This is actually the third visit for GOBA,” Crow said, noting that the tour’s last visit to the county was in 1999.

Area drivers should be aware that the riders will be heading into the county mid- to late Monday morning. According to GOBA director Julie Van Winkle, the bikes will leave Galion, in Crawford County, then proceed east to Lexington, where they will pick up the B&O Bike Trail which will take them to Butler, in southern Richland County.

From Butler, the riders will follow several county and local roads down to Fredericktown, then proceed south on Upper Fredericktown Road into Mount Vernon. Pack leaders could appear by or even before 10 a.m. Monday, with the rest of the bicyclists following.

The GOBA camp will be on the campus of Mount Vernon High School and Middle School. GOBA participants will spend the night in Mount Vernon, visiting local attractions. A shuttle bus will run bikers from the camp to downtown, Hiawatha Park, Coshocton Avenue and other locations. The number of visitors spreading throughout town will benefit the local economy both in immediate terms and in a long-term way, according to Crow.

“Being an economic development organization as a visitors bureau, we’re always concerned about prosperity and the things that make the economic engine percolate,” Crow said. “Having a group like GOBA come through allows us to put our best foot forward. It helps the ‘branding’ of the community and gives people a positive experience to tell about when they go home.”

Parking meters on the square will be bagged to prohibit parking starting Monday evening at 5 p.m., with Public Square itself closing at 11:30 p.m. The square and streets south and west of the square will be closed at different points during the day Tuesday for a downtown block party and a number of bike races, which will include a children’s race and general race open to the public. Public Square, the first two blocks of South Main and the two blocks of Vine Street from Mulberry to Gay streets will remain closed until midnight.

GOBA will leave Mount Vernon Wednesday morning on the Kokosing Gap Bike Trail. The tour will follow the bike path to Howard, then follow the Kokosing out of the county toward Coshocton.