June, 19, 2000
GOBA cyclists brave rain in annual ride
By Michelle Reiter
Staff Writer
The question of the day Sunday was, "Where's the food?"
For the several hundred GOBA bicyclists headed for Tiffin, the day began during a heavy rainstorm in Fremont early in the morning &emdash; which brought hundreds of rather damp, hungry and tired people into Tiffin from morning to the afternoon hours.
"It was raining hard when we left Fremont," said Deb Doles, 72, from Chillicothe. "But my wife and I stayed in the hotel, left the group and took the quick route to Tiffin &emdash; State Route 53."
Okay, so some people weren't as tired as others. But whether travelling via shortcuts on the sly or riding with the group, everyone seemed ready for a break.
Karen Missavage, 43, from Ann Arbor travelled with her two nieces: Karen, 9, and Laura, 7. They said as soon as they got off the three-seater tandem bicycle they share, they went to find food.
"We're not tired," young Karen and Laura insisted unanimously. But their aunt, who sells hand-made jewelry at her own vendor's booth during the rides admitted, "I'm tired."
With two energetic girls at her side, her chances for rest would be minimal in the bustle of the day. Especially as, in little Karen's words: "This is the best day of my life."
Parades, camping, races and events highlighted the girls' adventure in Tiffin, and promises to in every city they stop in. On top of that, there's camping.
They, along with their GOBA counterparts, would sleep in Hedges Park that night and leave the next day. The park was decorated with multi-colored portable tents that popped up from the area right inside the park gates to right outside the YMCA throughout the day. Local vendors lured bikers to their booth with tantalizing odors of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers.
Well, maybe not all bikers.
"I'm riding 350 miles; I want some real food," said one man, after wrinkling his nose at the suggestion of a hot dog.
Many felt the same way, ignoring the stands and descending upon the town in search of "real food."
Some, after pitching their tents and settling in, just wanted to rest a while.
"I'm taking a nap," was the weary call from many tents.
And others just tried to recover from the wet weather, as a few stray sunbeams began to pierce Tiffin's dark skies.
Jack Alexander, a Greenville resident, stood at the campsite he will be spending the night at with family and friends, with damp clothes drying on a tent line.
Alexander has been riding with GOBA its whole 12 years, and said he has learned how to deal with wet weather.
"You just ride through it," he said. "It's not so bad."
Bill Brown, Alexander's brother-in-law, said it's not the worst kind of weather to bike through, anyway.
"The worst are those hot, windy days," he said. "This is better."
The two travel without their wives because, in Alexander's words, "My wife does not sleep in tents."
His son, Jason, 23, has traveled with him for the last three years however, and both plan to keep it up for a while.
"I see people here in their 60s and 70s," Alexander said, "and they're doing good. I'll do it as long as I can."
The average age is about 44, he said, though GOBA participants ranged in age from infancy to 82.
Doles and his wife, Doris, 67, said not many of their friends bike and some think they're crazy, but they enjoy it.
"We're staying in the Quality Inn tonight," Doles said cheerfully.
Doles, who took a cross-country bike ride a couple of years ago, said he's learned how to survive it in style. In fact, he the only one who knew exactly where he was going to eat, and what.
"I've got a coupon for a free sundae at Cool Connections," he said. "That's where I'm going."
Riders will take off tomorrow for Marion, Bellfontaine, Bluffton and Bowling Green, returning to Fremont and then home next week.