All
participants must have arrived at our transportation
staging point at the end of RAGBRAI by
3:30 pm
We
feel this arrival deadline 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. Everyone
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 deadline time there will still
be plenty for you to see and do there.
We certainly do not want to
you miss our transportation service back to Chicago
so 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 at the end of RAGBRAI by the arrival
deadline time. Your actual
arrival time in the ending town will depend on
such considerations as your departure
time from the previous stopping town, your riding pace on the road (particularly
if the route that day is high mileage 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 in the ending
town to do such things 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 (if necesary),
taking a shower, eating and drinking, checking out
the ending
town, and riding to our transportation
staging point at the end of RAGBRAI.
We will arrive in the ending town as early as possible.
That way you will have a secure, dry place to leave
your bicycle and baggage after you arrive you and
can also use the restroom on the bus. Arriving early
and loading bikes and bags continuously also helps
decrease the commotion around our transportation
staging point at the end of RAGBRAI and prevents
us from rushing to quickly load everyone's bicycles
and baggage all at the same time.
- Click
Here for the overall policies and
procedures that will apply to our RAGBRAI transportation
service from the end of RAGBRAI to Chicago.
RAGBRAI
Ending Town Locations
The RAGBRAI ending town will inform
us of these specific locations around April
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. (coming soon!)
- Click Here for all locations
and in-town routes in the RAGBRAI previous and
ending stopping towns overlaid on satellite imagery. (coming
after April 1st)
- Click Here to download the in
town cue sheets and maps for the RAGBRAI previous
and ending stopping towns. (coming after April
1st)
Bicycle
Illinois Transportation Staging Point
 |
Coming after April 1st!
We expect our coach bus to arrive at our transportation
staging point at the end of RAGBRAI at TBD (coming
after April 1st!)
Whenever possible, we prefer our transportation
staging point to be directly next to Pork
Belly Ventures in the RAGBRAI ending
town so participants shipping their
bikes will be able to do so directly from our
staging
point.
|
RAGBRAI
Ending Location and Dip Site
 |
Coming after April 1st!
|
Showers
 |
Coming after April 1st!
Showers will be available through Pork Belly Ventures at their
staging point (see below). Additional showers
may also be available.
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 Main Baggage Drop Off
 |
Coming after April 1st!
Unless our transportation staging point in
the RAGBRAI ending town is at the same location
as the RAGBRAI Main Baggage drop off, we recommend
in the strongest possible way that you give
us your baggage in the previous RAGBRAI stopping
town and NOT transport it from the
RAGBRAI Main Baggage Drop Off to our transportation
staging point in the
RAGBRAI ending town.
- Click
Here for more information
about Saturday Morning Baggage Pickup
in the Previous RAGBRAI Stopping Town.
|
Pork
Belly Ventures Staging Point and
Bike Shipping
 |
Coming after April 1st!
Showers and towels through Pork Belly Ventures
will be available at their staging point. They
are
free for Pork Belly participants and an
additional cost for non-Pork Belly participants. |
Please note that all locations are approximate.
Riding
to Our Transportation Staging Point at the End
of RAGBRAI
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 for all supported
facilities, services, and in town routes for the
RAGBRAI ending town overlaid on satellite imagery. (coming
after April 1st!)
- 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.
- Click Here to download the in
town cue sheets and maps for the RAGBRAI previous
and ending stopping towns. (coming after April
1st!)
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 to download the GPS
route dataset files for the RAGBRAI ending town. (coming
after April 1st!)
- Click
Here for more information about
riding with your own personal GPS device.
Detours
and Reroutes
In the extremely unlikely event that either
our transportation staging point at the end of
RAGBRAI 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 at the end of RAGBRAI 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.
Transporting
Your Baggage to Our Transportation Staging Point
at the end of RAGBRAI
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.
If you do not drop
off your baggage with us in the previous RAGBRAI
stopping town you will need to transport it to
our transportation
staging point in the RAGBRAI ending town yourself.
- Click
Here for more information about
Saturday morning baggage pickup in the previous
RAGBRAI stopping town.
If your baggage is not within a reasonable
distance to our transportation staging point at the
end of RAGBRAI, our transportation staging point
will be a stop on the official
RAGBRAI Rider & Support Shuttle Service which
will run all day. To use this shuttle service to
transport your baggage to our transportation staging
point
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 shuttle service 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.
Baggage
Staging and Loading
All baggage will be staged loaded
together because all coach busses will arrive together
at the Chicago hotel on Saturday evening.
Bicycle
Transportation Services
After the end of RAGBRAI we will have two
separate bicycle transportation services that travel
from the RAGBRAI ending town to Chicago. You must let
us know when you want to pick up your bicycle in
Chicago so that we can properly stage and
load bikes together as one group
to quickly
and easily unload them in Chicago
in the following order of pick up times and locations:
- Saturday Evening at the Chicago hotel as part
of our premium bicycle transportation service
- Sunday or Monday at the Goose Island Brewery
as part of our standard bicycle transportation
service post-event pick up
- Click
Here for more information about
our bicycle transportation services.
Premium Bicycle Transportation Service
Our premium
bicycle transportation service will depart the
RAGBRAI ending town first and drop off bicycles
at the Chicago hotel on Saturday evening. We
will
give priority to loading
all the bikes that are part of this service to
make sure they arrive in Chicago as soon as possible
on
Saturday evening. You should register for this
service if you need your bicycle back in Chicago
on
Saturday evening such as if you have
an flight or train ride out of Chicago
early
Sunday
morning.
Please
note that the longer, hillier, and more challenging
the last riding day is the more it will
impede the premium bicycle transportation
service departing at the same time as the coach busses.
This is because more riders will arrive later
in the day and we will have to check
in and load more bikes closer to
our arrival deadline time.
Standard Bicycle Transportation Service
After our premium bicycle transportation service crew has
departed we will continue to load all remaining
bikes (as
well as our equipment and supplies) as
part of
our standard bicycle transportation service. We will
then drive through the night, arrive back in Chicago
early Sunday morning, and unload all of
the bikes at our standard bicycle transportation
service staging point at the Goose Island Brewery
where they will be waiting for you to pick up on
Sunday or Monday.
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