POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Rest Stops

You will not be required to stop at any rest stop.

Before the Ride
A rest stop will be available at the start of every ride to stock up on snack items and sports drinks for the upcoming ride.

During the Ride
Rest stops will be set up at pre-designated locations along the route, typically at public park type facilities. We will hang Bicycle Illinois banners on our vehicles at an obvious place at every rest stop location which can be easily seen from the road.

All rest stops will have bathrooms stocked with toilet paper and paper towels, running water, and picnic tables or benches to sit at and rest. We will also carry extra toilet paper and paper towels in case the bathrooms run out. Most rest stops (except the final rest stops at the main lodging sites) will also have a shelter to get out of the sun in the shade or in case of rain and a spray gun and hose attached to a spigot so you can quickly cool off!

The average distance between rest stop locations and the total number of rest stop locations you will bike to on the route depends on the overall ride length and is listed under the ride itineraries for each event.

Opening and Closing Times
Unless otherwise indicated, all rest stops will stay open as long as they have to. There will be no set closing times and they will stay open until the last rider arrives or nightfall, whichever comes first. When a rest stop opening and/or closing time is indicated, services will be guaranteed available during the times listed.

Opening Times
The rest stop opening times are the earliest times that the rest stops will be guaranteed to be open in order to accomodate the planned maximum pace. In fact, the rest stops may actually be open even earlier than the posted opening time depending on when the rest stop attendant is actually able to arrive at the rest stop location and set it up. When a rest stop opens, the route segment immediately following it will also offically open.

If the very, very rare situation comes up where you arrive at the rest stop before the opening time you can call SAG dispatch to inform us of the situation and we can give you an estimate of when we expect the rest stop attendant will arrive to set it up. Most likely you will only have to wait a few minutes and you may want to decrease your riding pace to make sure you won't have to wait again for the next rest stop to be open.

Closing Times
The rest stop closing times are the absolute latest times necessary to depart the rest stop in order to maintain the minimum cumulative riding pace and still accomodate a 15 minute break at each rest stop. When a rest stop closes, the route segment immediately preceeding it will also offically close.

For safety reasons, all riders must depart each rest stop by the posted closing time with absolutely no exceptions.

If you have not departed a rest stop by its posted closing time, we must assume that you have become too physically exhausted in order to complete the ride during the alloted time and your pacing pace will not increase as the ride progresses. Accordingly it would be unsafe and irresponsible for us to allow you to continue riding and we will transport you and your bike to the ending location in a SAG vehicle.

If you have not arrived at the rest stop by its posted closing time we will either have you continue riding to the rest stop or make you stop riding and wait where you are at a safe location on the route for us to come pick you up, depending on your location at the rest stop closing time.

Click Here for more information about being transported to the ending location

After the Ride
A rest stop will always be set up at the end of the ride to replenish yourself from the previous ride.

Due to the fact that participants will be arriving at the final rest stop sporadically, the rest stop at these locations will be fully stocked but may be lightly manned. If you require assistance at the final rest stop please contact us at (877) TOUR-ILL [868-7455] and it will be promptly attended.

When we have a separate main lodging site/ending location and a supported hotel in the next stopping town, the final rest stop will be set up at the main lodging aite/ending location and not at the supported hotel. In this case you will first arrive at the main lodging site when you arrive at the next stopping town, replenish yourself from the previous ride at the rest stop set up there, and then bike over to the supported hotel.