BICYCLE ILLINOIS
Updates

Updates for the 2012 Season

1/9/12

• Based on participant feedback from last season we will not be offering the same box lunches any more for any of our events. Even though we are working on finding a suitable alternative, currently we cannot commit to serving any type of lunch on the road. All information has been updated as necessary.
• Due to increases in fuel prices we will be charging $25 for the school bus transportation service from Carbondale to Cairo before the start of the event. This fee will only affect participants who initally meet us in Carbondale, the price of the transportation service to Carbondale and Cairo before the start of the event via the Amtrak train will remain unchanged - the transportation from Carbondale to Cairo is still included with this service. All appropriate information has been updated including the event Prices page, and all registration forms and information.

9/14/11

• The Carbondale hotel is now known as the Best Western Saluki Inn.

9/12/11

• Web site updated with 2012 dates and prices.
• Bicycle Illinois 2012 will occur on July 7th - 14th, 2012 and the Tri-State Tour #1 will occur on Sat. July 14th, 2012.

Major Updates for Previous Seasons

• Breakfasts served by us at our main lodging site will end at 6:15 am and not 6:30 am to give you at least 15 minutes to pack your gear up and get ready to ride before our group departure at 6:30 am.
• If you stay at a supported hotel, please leave your baggage on a rolling baggage cart if one is available and not just on the floor. This will greatly help our staff quickly load your bags onto our moving truck and help ensure that we deliver them to the next stopping town before you arrive as well as saving wear and tear on our staff.
• We have changed the Chicago hotel to the Congress Plaza Hotel for all dates for all events. Accordingly, the Return Transportation Staging Point in Chicago for the Tri-State Tour has changed to the northeast corner of E. Harrison St. and S. Wabash Ave.
• Some of the considerations for the Chicago long term parking have changed because the company managing the garage changed. Click Here for more information.
  • The parking garage will now open at 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.
  • Unfortunately the parking ticket machine at the Chicago Long Term Parking garage only issues tickets for the current day and does not issue tickets for multiple days or future dates. You will need to purchase a single day ticket for each day you will leave your car parked for the entire tour in advance, even though the dates on the tickets will be incorrect. You must also leave all the tickets clearly displayed on your dashboard with our long term parking sign so the garage staff knows you have paid and your vehicle is associated with Bicycle Illinois. The parking company will not have a representative to issue parking passes for Bicycle Illinois participants.
• All road name changes across the entire state have been incorporated into all maps and cue sheets.
• Mid-route pick ups and drop offs will occur only at a pre-designated gas station directly at an interstate exit off I-57 for each stopping town. They will no longer occur directly at the Amtrak train station or at any location other than the pre-designated locations.
• We now stay the first night in Cairo instead of Carbondale
  • Dinner will be from a local mom and pop barbeque joint and dinner will now be catered directly at the main lodging site at 6:00 pm! The main check-in will immediately preceed dinner, and the opening meeting will begin approximately 15-20 minutes after dinner begins.
  • We will have a 2-hour historic bus tour of Cairo at 3:30 pm.
  • 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 at the supported hotel, you will need to call for the best rate.
• We will now be able to depart Cairo at our normal group departure time of 6:30 am. We 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.
• 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.
  • 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 aditional 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
• Site maps posted for all main lodging sites under the individual stopping town pages
• 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.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Bicycle Illinois will no longer occur on the 4th of July holiday.
• The Chicago long term parking site and transportation service staging point Saturday morning to Carbondale and Cairo before the start of the event has been changed to the following location:

  CPS Parking Garage
  1301 W. Madison St.
  Chicago, IL 60607
  (312) 415-7410

• In town cue sheets and maps for Hammond will be available for participants continuing on the Tri-State Tour.
• Elevation and gross climb profiles added for every potential ride.
• Procedures for bicycle shipments from the Chicago bike shop updated.
• Participants staying at the supported hotels will have the continent breakfast provided at each supported hotel that starts at 6:00 am and begin riding directly from the supported hotel.
• On road and in town cue sheets and maps will be available with directions directly to and from the supported hotel in each town.
• The group departure for everyone has moved to 6:30 am from 6:00 am to accomodate participants staying in the supported hotel eating the continental breakfasts there. This applies both to participants staying at the main lodging site and to participants staying at the supported hotel. AS a result breakfast will be served at the main lodging site from 5:30 - 6:15 am and the baggage truck will depart the main lodging site at 6:00 am.
• A century option will be available every day for both Bicycle Illinois and the Tri-State Tour! You'll have the option of cycling over 700 miles in 7 days! No other ride in the midwest even comes close to that amount of mileage!