GOBA Day 7: Time flies and the miles roll on

Time does fly when you are having fun. I awoke Saturday all too obvious to that fact. My week at GOBA on my bike was ending. The sun rose early in Sidney as I packed my duffels and tent and loaded them into the van. My pal Paula and I were off early as we started our 42-mile ride to Urbana.

Our ride was flat, as has been most of the week. We continued our twisted trek through the Ohio country backgrounds. Miles seem to pass fast and in about an hour, we were at the mid-morning rest stop.   We arrived at our lunch stop in St. Paris before 10:00 AM. It was looking to be our shortest day of cycling of the week.

The landscape began to roll as we neared Urbana. I was enjoying the gentle hills that allowed coasting on the downhill.  That is until I turned a corner and faced a substantial hill. Having no early warning, I had to push myself mentally and physically to make the climb. I had not been out of my saddle the whole week during climbs, and was not about to on my last day. I made it; sweating profusely and drained. An EMS unit at the top had coolers of water. I doused myself, and my energy returned.

I climbed one final steep hill with much less effort and more confidence as I neared Urbana. The time machine moved quickly forward with miles passing under my wheels. Urbana’s downtown streets welcomed me back from my week away. My goal was to finish before noon. I entered the fairgrounds and crossed the finish line at 11:54 AM. Mission accomplished.

 297 miles of country roads lay behind me. There were too many photo ops to capture on my iPhone. I was often too involved in enjoying the peaceful ride. My philosophy on bicycle touring is that the most enjoyable tour is about the people, places and experiences and not about the miles, how far you travel, and how fast you pedal. GOBA was definitely a folksy event that met my expectations.

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