Arriving
at the Transportation Staging Point
All
participants must arrive at our transportation
staging point at the end of RAGBRAI by
3:30 pm
We feel this arrival time best balances arriving
back in Chicago at a reasonable time with
the needs of our slower riders since we will be departing
on what is still a riding day. All riders will still
be able to linger in the interesting towns along
the route that day and enjoy the last day of their
RAGBRAI experience. You will not need to get up at
the crack of dawn or make a mad rush to arrive at
our staging point on time, making an otherwise enjoyable
ride into a stressful one. If you are a faster rider
you may want to slow down your pace on the road that
day but if you do arrive in the ending town well
before this arrival time there will still be plenty
for you to see and do there.
It is extremely
important for you to plan your day so that you
complete the ride and activities in the ending
town and
arrive at our transportation staging point by the arrival time. We certainly
do not want to you miss our transportation service back to Chicago! Your arrival
time in the ending town will depend on such considerations as your departure
time from the previous overnight town, your riding pace on the road (particularly
if the route that day is a long distance and/or has a lot of climbing), and the
amount of time you spend at stops and the pass through towns on the route that
day.
You should also plan on leaving some extra time
just in case any unforeseeable situations come up
such as mechanical trouble, inclement weather conditions
such as rain, heat, or headwinds, or
just extra stops because you are tired and riding
slow after a long week. You should also leave enough
time to do such things in the ending
town as dipping your tires
at the
finish
in the Mississippi River to signify you made it,
dropping your bike off at the bike shipping location
(if applicable), picking up your baggage, taking
a shower, eating and drinking, checking out the ending
town, and bringing your bike and baggage to our transportation
staging point.
Please note that showers will not be available in
Chicago. If you want to shower after your ride you
will need to do so in the ending town before we depart.
RAGBRAI
Ending Town Locations
The RAGBRAI ending town will inform
us of these specific locations around May 1st and
we will develop the specific routes and provide
more information about them after this time.
- Click
Here for more information
about the RAGBRAI ending town.
Transportation
Staging Point
 |
Coming after May 1st!
We expect our coach bus to arrive at the transportation
staging point at time TBD (coming after
May 1st!) |
RAGBRAI
Ending Location and Dip Site
 |
Coming after May 1st!
|
RAGBRAI Main Baggage Drop Off
 |
Coming after May 1st!
|
Riding
to Our Transportation Staging Point
At the end of RAGBRAI, you will need to ride directly
to our transportation
staging point yourself from the ending location and dip site.
We
will
provide
a route for you to follow.
- Click Here to download the in
town cue sheet and map for the RAGBRAI ending town.
(coming soon!)
- Click Here for all supported
facilities, services, and in town routes for the
RAGBRAI ending town
overlaid on satellite imagery.
(coming soon!)
- Click Here to download the
GPS route dataset files for the RAGBRAI ending
town. (coming soon!)
- Click
Here for more information about
in town transportation.
- Click
Here for more information about
our routes.
- Click
Here for more information about
the roads and bike paths we follow.
- Click
Here for more information about
navigating our routes.
- Click
Here for more information about
our cue sheets and maps.
Cue Sheet and Map
We will distribute a printed cue sheet and map of our routes in the RAGBRAI
ending town to all participants before the start of RAGBRAI as
part of the registration materials.
We will also post a link on the bicycleillinois.com
home page and our RAGBRAI transportation service
home page for you to download the .pdf file of the
cue sheet and map onto your smartphone in case your
paper copy gets lost or destroyed during the week
of RAGBRAI.
Unfortunately we will not be able to distribute
them after the end of RAGBRAI, so if you do not
register for our transportation service from Chicago
to the
start of RAGBRAI you will need to download and
print them yourself and carry them with you during
the
week.
GPS
Route Dataset Files
GPS route dataset files will be available for you to download to your own individual
personal GPS device for navigation if you will be riding with one.
- Click
Here for more information about
riding with your own personal GPS device.
We will not be providing a GPS unit to any of our
participants for navigation at the end of RAGBRAI.
Detours
and Reroutes
In the extremely unlikely event that either
our transportation staging point location or
the route to it changes after all printed materials
and the GPS route dataset files have been distributed
(such as in response to unexpected blocked roads,
new road construction, etc.) we will indicate
our route to our transportation staging point
by using painted road markings directly on the
road designated with both "BI" and "DT" to
signify Bicycle Iillinois
and the DeTour.
We will also inform all of our participants on
their cell phone using both text message and
voice mail of the situation. Unfortunately we
will
not be able to provide anyone with a new individual
printed cue sheet or map of GPS route dataset
files of our new routes.
- Click
Here for more information about
our signage.
- Click
Here for more information about
our road markings.
- Click
Here for more information about
reroutes.
- Click
Here for more information about
road construction.
- Click
Here for more information about
us contacting you during the event.
Other Signage
We will not mount any Bicycle Illinois specific
signs onto sign posts or telephone poles because
they will be too easy to miss and will not stand
out enough among the hundreds of other club signs
posted there. In addition we will not be able to
come back later to take the signs down.
Baggage
Pickup in the Previous RAGBRAI Stopping Town
We will have separate baggage pick up locations
in the previous stopping town on Saturday morning at
the RAGBRAI baggage truck and also at the Pork Belly
Ventures camping location. Based on previous experience
it
will be much, much
easier for the majority of our participants to deliver
your baggage to us at one of these locations than transporting
it yourself after you arrive in the ending town. Doing
so will also significantly help us depart the ending
town in a reasonable amount of time bacause you won't
need to go back to pick up your baggage
after you arrive!
We will be accepting baggage at all locations from
5:00 am when the RAGBRAI baggage truck opens until
8:00 am when it departs. We will also unload your
baggage in the RAGBRAI ending town so you can still
access your personal items there (shower stuff, car
keys, book for the ride home, etc.)
If you are not using the RAGBRAI baggage truck or
Pork Belly
Ventures to transport your baggage during the week
of RAGBRAI
it is very important to check where your staging
locations will be both in the RAGBRAI ending town
as well as the previous stopping town to determine
the easiest way for you to transfer your baggage
to us. You can still deliver your baggage to us at
one of these locations in the previous RAGBRAI stopping
town on Saturday morning transporting even if you
are transporting your baggage during the week of
RAGBRAI another way.
RAGBRAI
Main Baggage Drop Off
 |
Coming after May 1st!
|
Pork
Belly Ventures
 |
Coming after May 1st!
|
Transporting
Your Baggage to Our Transportation Staging Point
If you do not deliver
your baggage to us in the previous RAGBRAI stopping
town you will need to transport it to our transportation
staging point in the RAGBRAI ending town yourself. In
order to prevent unnecessary traffic in the RAGBRAI
ending town, RAGBRAI only allows us to travel
to our transportation staging point and we cannot
pick up any participants or their bicycles or
baggage at any other location. If you used Pork
Belly Ventures charter service during the week
of RAGBRAI, they
will not deliver your baggage
to our transportation staging point in the ending
town either.
- Click
Here for more information about
the RAGBRAI previous stopping town.
- Click
Here to download the in town cue
sheet and map for the previous RAGBRAI stopping
town. (coming soon!)
Ideally, our transportation staging point will be
close enough to your baggage in the RAGBRAI ending
town so that you can easily carry it to our transportation
staging point yourself from there yourself.
If your baggage is not within a reasonable walking
distance to our transportation staging point, our
transportation staging point will be a stop on the
official RAGBRAI Rider & Support Shuttle Service
which will run all day. To use the shuttle service
to transport your baggage to our transportation staging
location you should bike to our transportation staging
point (without your baggage) using our route from
the RAGBRAI ending location and dip site and drop
off your bicycle with us. You should then take the
shuttle service back to where your baggage is located
(without your bicycle), pick up your baggage, and
then take the RAGBRAI shuttle bus back to our transportation
staging point with your baggage. Shuttle busses can
take up to an hour and a half each way, so make sure
and budget at least three hours to get your baggage
after you arrive at our transportation staging point.
- Click
Here for more information about
the RAGBRAI Rider & Support Shuttle service
in the ending town. (coming soon!)
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