RAGBRAI^® TRANSPORTATION
Driving Yourself

Drive Yourself • Have Someone Drop You Off and Pick You Up in the Ending Town
Have Someone Drop You Off in the Starting Town and Pick You Up in the Ending Town

Drive Yourself
Approximate Total Cost - about $510.00 to $730.00, at least 7 hours of driving, and a dangerous drive back to Chicago
If you choose to drive yourself from Chicago, you’ll need to drive to the RAGBRAI ending town, park your vehicle there for the week, and then use a separate charter service to transport you, your bicycle, and your luggage to the starting town. We estimate the total cost for this option to be approximately $510.00 - $730.00.

After the ride, you would still need to drive yourself back to Chicago - and this is where serious concerns arise. By that point, you will be extremely fatigued, having ridden that day plus seven consecutive days totaling nearly 500 miles.

If this is your first RAGBRAI, please trust our experience when we say that you cannot fully anticipate how exhausted you will feel. Making a long drive immediately after the ride can be unsafe, and most riders simply do not want to do it. Riders who have completed RAGBRAI before - and have made this drive - know EXACTLY how draining it can be.

For safety and peace of mind, we strongly recommend considering an alternative transportation option.

Gas - about $70.00
The shortest, fastest driving distance from Chicago to Dubuque is about 180 miles (3 1/2 hours) by following I-90 and US 20. Assuming gas is about $3.50 to $4.00 per gallon and your car gets about 20 miles per gallon, the cost of gas would be about $35.00 each way, or about $70.00 round trip.

Tolls - about $6.00 to $12.00
If you follow I-90 from Chicago to Dubuque you would need to pay $3.00 in tolls each way using an I-Pass, or $6.00 round trip (double the tolls if you pay cash).

Week Long Parking - $100.00 to $200.00
You would need to park your vehicle in Dubuque for the duration of RAGBRAI. While long-term parking rates for Dubuque have not yet been finalized, last year long-term parking costs ranged from $100 for standard cars and pickup trucks to $200 for larger vehicles in Guttenberg.

• Click Here for more information about parking in Davenport during the week of RAGBRAI

Charter Service to the Start of RAGBRAI - about $210.00 to $300.00
Because RAGBRAI is a one-way ride, you would still need transportation for yourself, your bicycle, and your baggage to the starting town. This requires using a separate charter service, which costs between $210.00 - $300.00 per person this year.

Hotel at the Start of RAGBRAI before the start of the ride - about $125.00 to $150.00
Most charter services depart the RAGBRAI ending town very early in the morning, typically around 7:00 or 8:00 am. Considering the drive from Chicago to Guttenberg is roughly four hours (not including traffic and breaks for food, gas, and restrooms), you would probably want to leave Chicago the night before and spend the night in a hotel near there. Guttenberg is very small, and there are no available hotel rooms so most likely you would stay in Dubuque which is the largest town near Guttenberg from Chicago with hotel options available but still about a hour away. In addition from our experience hotel rooms also charge a premium rate due to the significantly increased demand that night.

Otherwise you could leave Chicago VERY, VERY early in the morning (2:00 am at the latest) in order to be sure to make it on time since you would still need time to get your bike loaded on the charter service and also get your weeklong parking situated. We think it would be an absolutely terrible idea to start your vacation on such an already physically challenging week in such a demanding way!

Have Someone Drop You Off and Pick You Up in the Ending Town
Approximate Total Cost - about $485.00 to $615.00 and a BIG favor for your driver
If you did not want to park your car in the RAGBRAI ending town during the week, you could have someone drop you off and pick you up there. We estimate that it would cost you $480.00 to $525.00 to do so and save between about $25 and $115, but you would owe the driver a BIG favor after driving at least 8 hours (one full day) for you.

Gas - about $140.00 and Tolls - about $12.00 to $24.00
The amount you would have to spend on both gas and tolls compared with driving yourself would double. This is because you would have to get dropped off and picked up both before the start and also after the end of the event.

Charter Service to the Start of RAGBRAI - about $210.00 to $300.00
You would still need to use another charter service to transport you, your baggage, and your bike to the start of RAGBRAI.

Hotel Room at the Ending Town before the start of the ride - about $125.00 to $150.00
Before the start of the ride, you and your driver would still need to either get a hotel room near the ending town or leave Chicago VERY, VERY early in the morning.

A BIG Favor for Your Driver
Whoever drives you would need to drive over twelve hours total over at least two days - about six hours each way there and back both before the start and after the end of the event, not to mention the time and hassle getting in and out of the ending town with all of the others rider there. You would definitely owe them a BIG favor.

Have Someone Drop You Off in the Starting Town and Pick You Up in the Ending Town
Approximate Total Cost - about $380.00 to $450.00 and an ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS favor for your driver
If you had someone initially drop you off in the starting town instead of the ending town you would not need to pay for parking in the ending town or a charter service to the start of RAGBRAI. We estimate that it would cost you about $425.00 to $445.00 to do so and you would owe the driver an ENORMOUS favor since they would need to drive at least 26 hours (three days) for you.

Gas - about $240.00 to $270.00
The shortest, fastest driving distance from Chicago to Onawa is about 500 miles by following I-88, I-80, and I-29, and from Chicago to Dubuque is about 180 milesby following I-90 and US 20. Assuming gas is about $3.50 to $4.00 per gallon and your car gets about 20 miles per gallon, the cost of gas would be about $240.00 to $270.00.

Tolls - about $16.00 to $32.00
If you follow I-88 from Chicago to Onawa you would need to pay $5.10 in tolls and if you follow I-90 from Chicago to Dubuque you would need to pay $3.00 in tolls each way using an I-Pass, or $16.20 round trip (double the tolls if you pay cash).

Hotel Room at the Starting Town before the start of the ride - about $125.00 - $150.00
Considering that the drive from Chicago to Orange City is approximately nine hours each way (including stops for food, fuel, and restrooms), your driver would definitely need to stay overnight before returning to Chicago. Based on our experience, they would likely need to drive at least an additional hour after reaching Orange City to find the nearest available hotel room near the RAGBRAI starting area.

An ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS Favor for Your Driver
You would owe an ABSOLUTELY ENORMOUS favor to anyone actually willing to drive you. Your driver would spend approximately 25 hours on the road over at least three days - about nine hours each way to and from Onawa, plus at least seven additional hours after the ride ends to and from Dubuque. This does not account for the significant time, congestion, and logistical challenges involved in getting in and out of both the starting and ending towns amid thousands of riders and support personnel.