BICYCLE ILLINOIS
Transportation Service to Carbondale and Cairo Before the Start of the Event

We are pleased to offer transportation service to Carbondale and Cairo on the Saturday before the start of the event. This option is most popular with participants from the Chicago area and areas north of there such as Milwaukee and Detroit. Logistically, this transportation service will consist of two separate travel segments: Transportation to Carbondale aboard an Amtrak train Transportation from Carbondale to Cairo aboard a bus

Transportation of People to Carbondale
Participants will travel aboard an Amtrak Superliner train to Carbondale. Registration for the transportation service to Carbondale and Cairo includes your Amtrak train ticket.

The train departs Chicago at 8:15 am and arrives in Carbondale at 1:45 pm according to schedule, approximately a 5 1/2 hour ride.

Click Here for more information about the Amtrak train service policies and procedures.

Chicago Staging Points
We need to have all participants at each staging point at the same time because of our transportation plans. Please have your bags fully packed and your bicycle in great mechanical working order and ready to be transported when you arrive at the staging point. PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE LATE – OTHER PEOPLE WILL BE DEPENDING ON YOU. If you are late we cannot wait for you.

You will receive your wristband for the entire event at the transportation service staging point which will also identify you as a member of our group for the Amtrak train service.

If you are also staying at the Cairo hotel, you will also receive six supported hotel baggage delivery tags (2 tags each for two bags and one floor pump) to identify each baggage item so that we can properly deliver your baggage to the supported hotel after the moving truck arrives in town.

After your bicycle and baggage has been loaded onto the moving truck you will need to go over to the Amtrak train station yourself. Directions and a map will be provided. If you don’t want to walk, a cab ride to the train station will be relatively quick and inexpensive, especially if you want to split the ride with your fellow participants.

Click Here for the routes to and from the Amtrak train stations for the transportation service in Chicago overlaid on satellite imagery.

Main Staging Point
The Chicago long term parking location will be the main staging point for the transportation service to Carbondale and Cairo before the start of the event. Baggage and bicycle loading will be done there at 5:00 am.

We must plan on such an early time because our moving trucks will travel significantly slower than the Amtrak train. We will need ample time to ensure a reasonable time of arrival at the Carbondale Amtrak train station and Cairo main lodging site and also to arrive in our other stopping towns before the Amtrak train does for mid-route pick ups as necessary. Meeting at such an early time will also prevent any parking conflicts from major summer events in Chicago such as festivals, celebrations, concerts, or anything else.

The long term parking location was chosen because there is very limited loading and unloading space around the Chicago Amtrak train station and the long term parking location in Chicago is typically very empty at that time on Saturday mornings, giving us plenty of room to operate. In addition, participants who need to park their car long term in Chicago won’t need to leave their car or baggage or bicycle unattended or carry their baggage or bicycle very far. Please be aware that there are no bathrooms at or near the Chicago long term parking location. You will need to use the bathrooms at the Amtrak Union Station.

If you are parking your car long term in Chicago, the Chicago long term parking garage will opens 6:00 am, not 5:00 am, so you will need to wait until then to enter the garage. We still need everyone to meet us at the long term parking garage at 5:00 am though to load your bikes and bags onto the moving truck due to the time constraints of ensuring our moving truck arrives in Carbondale before the train.

The Chicago long term parking location is only 1.5 miles from the Chicago Amtrak train station.

Chicago Hotel
If you are staying at the Chicago hotel, we will pick up your bicycle and baggage directly there at the northeast corner of E. 8th St. and S. Wabash Ave. after we have loaded all the bikes and baggage at the main staging point. You should wait for us to arrive there with your bicycle and baggage ready to be loaded by 5:30 am.

The northeast corner of E. 8th St. and S. Wabash Ave. is located on the same block as the supported hotel and is a very wide open area and a great place to load bicycles and baggage from since it typically has little or no traffic or parked cars. There is a Caribou Coffee shop across the corner where you can get some coffee to wake up and you will also be able to meet and socialize with your fellow riders while you are waiting for us to pick you up. Please be aware though that there will not be anywhere to sit.
Unfortunately it is impossible to know exactly when we will be finished loading bicycles and baggage at the main staging point and be able to pick them up at the supported hotel, but we are almost positive that it will be after 5:30 am so most likely you will need to wait a little while for us to arrive. Our arrival time at the supported hotel will depend on the number of participants meeting us at the main staging point and any complicated packing situations we may encounter.

We will attempt to keep in contact with you to let you know our progress and expected arrival time if it will vary significantly from 5:30 am, but we cannot make any guarantees. However, you may always call us at our main phone number (877) TOUR-ILL [868-7455] for our estimated time of arrival if it seems like we’re running significantly later than expected.

You should stay at the supported hotel until we arrive and do not come over to the main staging point. Not only do we not want you to have to lug your bicycle and baggage all the way to the main staging point or leave them unattended, doing this also helps keep all of our participants staying at the supported hotel in one place and from getting lost or missed.

Please do not check your bags and/or bicycle at the supported hotel in the morning. In the past we have had a very difficult time retrieving them from the supported hotel due to security concerns from the supported hotel because they, like you, want to be positive that no one takes your belongings who shouldn’t. This is a situation that is best avoided since it can be quite difficult to convince the supported hotel that we actually should be taking your belongings!

The Chicago hotel is only 1.3 miles from the Chicago Amtrak train station.

Bicycle and Baggage Staging and Loading
You will need to put your baggage into one of two piles – baggage going to the Cairo main lodging site and baggage going to the Cairo hotel since we need to load all the bags going to each location together. Please make sure to place your two supported hotel baggage delivery tags on each one of your baggage items before placing them in the Cairo hotel pile so we can easily identify the bags that should be delivered to the supported hotel when we arrive in Cairo.

We will first load baggage into the moving truck going to the Cairo hotel, then any remaining bicycles not on outside racks. Baggage to be delivered to the Cairo main lodging site will be loaded last since the first thing we will do when we arrive in Cairo is deliver baggage to the main lodging site, so we want these bags on top as much as possible.

It will be your responsibility to ensure that your bike and baggage gets loaded onto the moving truck before it departs.

Although the moving truck will arrive in Carbondale to load the bicycles and baggage of other participants meeting us there for the transportation service from Carbondale to Cairo you will not have access to your bicycle or baggage on the moving truck until you arrive in Cairo. You must plan on arriving at the start with your bicycle in great mechanical working order and ready to be ridden on the next day's ride. You will not be able to get any bicycle repair services at the Carbondale bike shop despite the fact that it is located directly across the street from the Amtrak train station and there is no bike shop in Cairo.

Click Here for more information about bicycle and baggage transportation means.

Mid-Route Pick Ups
To provide a mid-route pick up the moving truck will meet you at the designated pick up location for the pick up town before the train arrives there and load your baggage and bicycle. You will then drive to the Amtrak train station in that town, park there long term if necessary, and board the Amtrak train when it arrives. This way your baggage and bicycle will not be left unattended after you board the train.

Click Here for more information about mid route pick ups and drop offs.

Continuing Transportation from Carbondale to Cairo
After the Amtrak train arrives in Carbondale you will transfer to a charter school bus directly at the Carbondale Amtrak train station that will transport you the rest of the way to Cairo. There is no additional charge for this continuing transportation service and it is automatically included for all participants taking the transportation service to Carbondale and Cairo before the start of the event.

If you brought any carry-on baggage with you on the train you will need to carry it with you on the charter school bus. We will not be able to place any carry-on baggage into our moving truck in Carbondale.

Bike Part, Tool, and Cycling Accessory Purchases at the Carbondale Bike Shop
Since there is no bike shop in Cairo and the Carbondale bike shop is conveniently located directly across the street from the Amtrak train station you may be able to get any last minute bike parts, tools, or cycling accessories at the Carbondale bike shop before we depart from Carbondale.

However, you should plan on arriving at the start of the event with all the bike parts, tools, and cycling accessories you need already. We cannot guarantee that the Carbondale bike shop will have the specific part, tool, or cycling accessory you want or need and we cannot wait for you to make any purchases to depart Carbondale.

If you know you are going to need any bike parts, tools, or cycling accessories at the Carbondale bike shop we strongly recommend calling them to confirm that they will have these items available. The hours and phone numbers for the Carbondale bike shop are listed on the Carbondale in town map.

We also strongly recommend going over to the Carbondale bike shop immediately after the Amtrak train arrives to ensure that there will be adequate time to purchase these items before we depart Carbondale.

If you purchase any items at the Carbondale bike shop you will need to carry them with you on the charter school bus. We will not be able to place any of these items into our moving truck in Carbondale.

Click Here for more information about our transportation service from Carbondale to Cairo.