Accomplishments

$12,000 Raise for the Preble County 4H Scholarship Fund

GOBA 2024 paired up with the Buckeye Bridge Ride to give our riders the option of an additional day of riding or to do our very first GOBA Weekend. Registration from this extra day of GOBA fun allowed us to raise $12,000 to go toward the Preble County 4H Scholarship Fund.

2023 Major Cycling Event Report

We delivered over 35,000 unique, participant days, of Columbus Outdoor Pursuits event activities in 2023!

• GOBA had nearly 1087 registered participants and was a substantial increase over the 2022 registration of 800.

• The new Ohio to Erie Trail Adventure was a success as a south to north ride on the Ohio to Erie Trail with hotels for overnights. We’ll offer this tour twice in 2024!

• XOBA, which is a cross state ride the last week of July, grew in 2023. We’ll continue to focus on building this popular tour.

• The 62nd TOSRV continued the tradition of the longest continuous ride in the United States. Ridership continues to decline even though marketing was increased in an effort to stop the downward trend. We’ve engaged a group of passionate TOSRV participants to adjust the traditional format that will make it more attractive to younger audiences.

• The Cycling Series rides had over 1,000 riders and offered short, medium, and century options in limited to full-service offerings.

2023 Additional Event Activities

In addition to the safe, full-service bicycle tour experiences above, COP also delivered:

 

  • Two Ride Leader trainings that added over 100 qualified Leaders for our rides,
  • A 200% increase in rides and participants on our schedule of recurring weekly training rides,
  • A Nordic Winter Getaway at Wilderness Lodge,
  • A monthly hiking outing via the “21 Challenge” Series,
  • Several new bike-packing seminars and trips,
  • Referrals to boating excursions.

Bicycle Development Fund Grants

The proceeds from the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) and the Tour of the Scioto River Valley (TOSRV) have been earmarked to our Bicycle Development Fund. This Fund has provided significant grants to benefit various organizations that serve the bicycling community

  • The Ohio to Erie Trail Fund – we have granted approximately $1 million over the last 20 years to the devlopment of this landmark destination for cyclists from across the country.
  • We have provided significant grants to seed and sustain bicycle advocacy groups and projects in Ohio.
  • We have provided grants to fund various projects that extend the attractiveness and accessibility of bicycling to broader audiences.