GOBACA is the George F. Bush Adams County Adventure. This ride, originally conceived by our club member George Bush, is a beautiful fall ride from Wilmington, Ohio to Mineral Springs Lake in Adams County near the town of Peebles, Ohio. GOBACA is a fully-sagged ride with overnight camping at the lake. The ride winds for 65 miles each day through the back roads of Clinton, Highland, and Adams counties. The course is rolling with a few significant hills thrown in for good measure. An optional "challenging" route is available that consists of 85 miles each day and some of the largest hills in Adams County and probably the State of Ohio. The ride will be held on the weekend of September 20-21, 2008. Scroll down for the list of Frequently Asked Questions.
Sunset over Mineral Springs Lake
Q: What is provided?
A: The Wilmington Bicycle club provides a sag vehicle to transport all your camping gear to Mineral Springs Lake. Light refreshments are provided at the midway point of the ride on both days. There is a convenience store at the midway point where you may buy your own supplies if desired. A map of the course will also be provided, but the course is well marked. The campground fee is also included. We usually have a cookout on Saturday night, so bring your own food for the cookout. Cooking materials will be provided. Pizza is available at the campground store.
Q: How much does it cost?
A: The cost of the ride is $25 per rider. Add $10 if you would like a t-shirt. Please provide shirt size when registering.
Q: How do I sign up?
A: You can register and pay immediately via PayPal by clicking on the button below. This is for registrations without a t-shirt.
Alternatively, you can mail a check for $25 ($35 with t-shirt) to our club treasurer at the following address. You may also include a signed waiver or you may sign the waiver when you show up for the ride.
Teresa Gallinis 804 Faris Road Blanchester, OH 45107Please make checks payable to Teresa Gallinis. Click here for the waiver: Microsoft Word format or Adobe PDF format.
Q: What should I bring?
A: You need to bring food for Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Alternatively on Sunday morning we stop at a restaurant on the ride back through Peebles for breakfast. A grill and camp stove will be available on Saturday night if you want to prepare you own food. A camp store is available but may have limited supplies late in the season. You also should bring your own tent and other camping gear including sleeping bag.
Q: What if I can't ride both days?
A: That isn't a problem. We welcome all riders and want to increase participation as much as possible within the limits of the campground. You can ride any combination of the routes one or both days. For example, you can ride the 85 mile route on Saturday and return on the 65 mile route. As another example, you can ride the 85 mile route on Saturday and be picked up at the campground that evening. The cost for riding only half the course is $15 and may be paid the day of the ride.
Q: When does the ride start?
A: We usually start around 8 AM. Club members will be available at the starting area around 7:30 AM.
Q: How bad are the hills?
A: On the short course the steepest hill has a 14% grade. Fortunately, the climb is only about 1/4 mile, so you can walk it if necessary. The total elevation gain for the short course is around 3500 feet each way. On the long course, the steepest hill is the climb up Peach Mountain which has a 16% grade for about a half-mile. Peach Mountain at 1,266 ft is the highest point in Adams County. The total elevation gain for the long course is around 4600 feet each way. Jack Cook, a 2007 GOBACA rider, has provided the following GPS statistics from his ride on the long course.
Q: Where does the ride start?
A: The ride starts in the big parking lot on the right side of State Route 68 just south of Wilmington, Ohio. It used to be a K-Mart, but is now home to some of the city administrative offices. A grocery store also shares the parking lot.
Wilmington, Ohio is conveniently located between Columbus, Dayton, and Cincinnati.
E-mail webmaster@wilmingtonbicycleclub.org for more details. We hope to see you there!