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BICYCLE
ILLINOIS
Updates
Updates
for the 2009 Season
11/19/2008
- The Free Trolley Service in Chicago has been
discontinued by the City of Chicago.
- Events Bike Ride Services is now offering bicycle
detailing service! Click
Here for more information.
11/15/2008
We are pleased to announce that we now will be staying
the first night in Cairo instead of Carbondale!
- A new web page with the facilities and services
in Cairo has been added. Click
Here for more information.
- Dinner in Cairo will be from a local
mom and pop barbeque joint!
- You will need you arrive at the start
of the event more prepared. Many services
and facilities available in other stopping
towns will either be limited or not available
in Cairo.
- Room blocks will not be available, you
will need to call for the best rate. We
recommend calling early due to potential
availability issues from other participants
or anyone else.
- A new daily itinerary web page has been added
for the Saturday arrival in Cairo. Click
Here for more information.
- The Cairo to Carbondale ride itinerary and all
related route has been updated. Click
Here for more information.
- We will now be able to depart Cairo
at our normal group departure time
of 6:30 am. We will no longer have
a late start out of Cairo!
- You will have significantly
more time to compete the ride
from Cairo to Carbondale
- The possibility that
you will not be able
to complete the ride
from Cairo to Carbondale
is significantly reduced.
- The ride will be safer because
there will be less liklihood
of heat related medical paroblems.
You will be
able
to
depart Cairo much earlier before
it gets hot.
- Lunch will be served at our rest
stop in Giant City, but at a much
earlier relative time in the day.
- You will have much more time
to do whatever you want after you
arrive in Carbondale
- New ride segments have been added
from our new supported hotel and
main lodging site in Cairo to the
southern tip of Illinois and the
confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi
rivers.
- These new ride segments are
through flat ground.
- Bathrooms will now be available
directly at the start in Cairo
- If you depart from the Cairo
main lodging site the new ride
segment is only 8.5 miles long
and adds on only 4.7 miles
to the route for a new minimum
ride distance is 70.2 miles.
- If you depart from the Cairo
supported hotel the new ride
segment is only 10.3 miles
long and adds on only 6.5 miles
to the route for a minimum
ride distance of 72.0 miles.
- The ride segment from Cairo to
Ullin, one of the longest of the
event, has been decreased by 3.8
miles from 23.1 to 19.3 miles.
- The entire ride from Cairo to Carbondale
has become easier on the
most "intense" day!
- An additional rest stop
has been added at the Cairo
main lodging site on the
way out of Cairo to accomodate
the new ride segments.
- The average ride segment distance
has decreased
- If you do not do the century
option, the average ride
segment distance from Cairo
to Carbondale has decreased
by 2.5 miles from 16.3 miles
to 13.8 miles.
- If you do the century option,
the average ride segment
distance has decreased by
3.6 miles from 18.0 miles
to 14.4 miles
- The century ride has also become
easier on the most "intense" day!
- The century loop has
been decreased by 8.6
miles from 26.4 to 18.8 miles.
- The minimum length of the
century ride has also been decreased
by
2.9 miles from 102.9 miles to
exactly 100.0 miles!
- Many of our transportation services
have been modified. Click
Here for more information
about transportation services.
- All transportation services
before the start of the event will
now all go all the way to Cairo.
- You will not need to get to
the main lodging site or supported
hotel from the Amtrak train station
in Carbondale.
- We will not have to reload
and unpack bicycles in Carbondale
and Cairo on Saturday night and
Sunday morning.
- Our transportation service from
Carbondale to Cairo will now be
on Saturday afternoon. We will
no longer transport any participants
to Cairo from Carbondale on Sunday
morning. We will no
longer need to:
- Load the charter school bus
at the Carbondale main lodging
site
- Load bicycles and participants
at the Carbondale supported
hotel
- Transport all participants
and their bicycles to Cairo
from Carbondale
- Unload all participants and
their bicycles in Cairo
- Get a rest stop set up in
Cairo
- Have you bring your floor
pump with you to the start
in Cairo
- Return your floor pump to
the main lodging site or supported
hotel in Carbondale
- The information for all appropriate facilities
and services in Carbondale has been modified on
the Carbondale web page and in-town map to reflect
the fact that we won't be staying in Carbondale
on Saturday any more. Click
Here for more information on the facilities
and services in Carbondale.
- The Carbondale hotel room block has been modified.
The room block for Sat. July 11th has been dropped
and the reservation cut-off date has been changed
to July 12th.
- The cue numbers of all in-town maps have been
changed.
- The route profile data for the entire event
has been updated. Click
Here for more information.
11/7/2008
- In-town mileages and in-town cue sheets and maps
updated in Champaign and Kankakee
- Champaign to Kankakee ride segment data updated
for Champaign Main Lodging to Rantoul, Ashkum to
Kankakee Main Lodging, and Kankakee Main Lodging
to Kankakee Hotel
- Kankakee to Chicago ride segment data updated
for Kankakee Main Lodging to Peotone
- Cumulative mileage information added for lunch
stop locations under the individual daily ride
itinerary pages
- Effingham to Champaign ride segment data updated
for Pesotum to Champaign non-century and century
rides and Champaign Main Lodging to Champaign Hotel
- Site maps posted for all main lodging sites under
the individual stopping town pages
11/6/2008
- Construction on the main lodging site in Champaign
is complete. The swimming pool will now be available
directly there. Click
Here for more information.
8/28/2008
- If you need to transport yourself and your bike
and baggage between the Amtrak Train and Greyhound
Bus Station, long term parking, main lodging site,
and/or supported hotel in Champaign we strongly
recommend considering using the local bus service. Click
Here for more information.
8/23/2008
- Events Bike Ride Services can shuttle you, your
bike, and your baggage within each stopping town.
This is perfect if you have a change of plans and
decide to stay in our supported hotel after you
arrive or if need help getting to or from the Amtrak
train station if you are doing a partial day trip. Click
Here for more information.
8/20/2008
- The supported cycling routes from both the main
lodging site and supported hotel to all other supported
services and facilities in each stopping town have
been posted on the satellite imagery overlays.
- The in town cue sheet(s) and map for each stopping
town has been posted under the specific stopping
town information.
- The long term parking location in every nightly
stopping town except Chicago has been changed to
be either directly at or very close to the Amtrak
train station because our primary means of transportation
between every stopping town is the Amtrak train. Click
Here for much more information.
- There will be a fee of $2.00 per day for long
term parking at the Carbondale Amtrak train station.
You will need to pay for all of the days in advance
while the station is open and post your receipt
in the window of your vehicle so you do not get
ticketed or towed.
- If fewer than 5 participants register for any
specific transportation service they will carry
their bicycle and baggage directly with them on
the Amtrak train and we will not transport them
on a separate moving truck because each Amtrak
train can accommodate up to 4 bicycles. We will
only transport your bicycle and bags on a separate
moving truck if 5 or more participants register
for the transportation service on any specific
date.
- In order to ensure the timely arrival of the
moving truck from Chicago to Carbondale and Cairo
by not having to stop along the way, if you register
for a transportation service mid-route pick up
or drop off we may have you carry your bicycle
and baggage directly on the Amtrak train with you
and we may not transport them on a separate moving
truck because the Amtrak train can accommodate
up to 4 bicycles on each train.
- If fewer than 20 participants register for any
specific transportation service, you will receive
an individual train ticket. If 20 or more participants
register for any specific transportation service,
we will travel as a single group and Amtrak requires
that there be only one ticket for everyone as a
group and you will not receive an individual train
ticket.
- Some of the Amtrak train schedules between Chicago
and Carbondale have changed. For the most current
train schedules between Chicago and Carbondale Click
Here to access Amtrak's "Illinois
Service" web page and click on "Chicago
- Carbondale" under "Schedules".
- Amtrak has moved the schedule of the "Saluki" Amtrak
train we use for our transportation service one
hour earlier. The train now departs Chicago at
8:15 am and arrives in Carbondale at 1:45 pm. Accordingly,
all times related to our transportation service
have also been moved up one hour. Baggage and bicycle
loading for the Transportation Service to Carbondale
and Cairo Before the Start of the Event will now
begin at 5:00 am, and baggage and bicycle loading
for the Transportation from Chicago After the End
of the Event will now begin at 6:30 am.
- A shower will be available directly at the ending
location in Chicago but it is a public, open air
shower used for rinsing off after going swimming
and not a private, enclosed shower. You will only
be able to rinse yourself off however and not bathe
nude.
- Parking at the ending location in Chicago will
only be allowed while you are immediately loading
your bike and baggage and you will not be able
to park there for any extended amount of time.
- Please be aware that bicycles are not allowed
on any Metra train at any time during some major
summer events in Chicago. Please check Metra's
web site to check if the date restrictions for
the current year may affect your arrival and/or
departure plans if you are planning on taking your
bicycle on a Metra train. Click
Here for more information.
- Information about local bus service has been
added to the information about each stopping town
where it is available.
- Registration for non-riding participants has
been added. If you have friends or family who want
to travel with you during the event but will not
actually be riding a bicycle they must still register
for the event. The registration fee for non-riders
will be 50% of the regular registration fee. All
other registration policies, procedures and fees
will be the same for non-riders including late
fees and fees for all extra services and merchandise.
- The registraton fee has increased to $599.00
from $549.00, the fee for the Transportation Service
to Carbondale and Cairo Before the Start of the
Event has increased to $99.00 from $95.00, and
the fee for the Transportation Service from Chicago
After the End of the Event has increased to $135.00
from $115.00 to cover significantly rising food
and fuel prices.
- If you prefer not to eat the box lunches, you
can opt out of them for the entire event and deduct
$6.25 per day from your registration fees.
- Box lunches for the Tri-State Tour #1 will be
available exclusively to participants of Bicycle
Illinois for a 35% discount from the regular price
when you initially register!
- Future event dates changed. Bicycle Illinois
will no longer occur on the 4th of July holiday.
- Bicycle Illinois will occur on July 11th - 18th,
2009 and the Tri-State Tour #1 will occur on Sat.
July 18th, 2009. All date related information has
been updated.
Major Updates
for the 2008 Season
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