RAGBRAI® TRANSPORTATION
Updates
General Company Wide Updates
RAGBRAI Transportation Service Specific
Updates for the 2022 Season
5/4/21
- Now that the RAGBRAI lottery results have been
announced, an official RAGBRAI rider number is
required for all new registrations.
3/4/22
- One way transportation from the End of RAGBRAI
to Chicago is CURRENTLY FULL. Check back frequently
for updated availability or Click
Here to
be added to our waiting list.
3/1/22
- Moving forward every year, regardless of when
we announce our final pricing schedule March
15th will be the deadline
for previously
registered
participants who
decide
- TO PARTICIPATE to remit their remaining
balance due to us
- DECIDE NOT TO PARTICIPATE to request a
refund
.
2/26/22
- Paper registration form posted. Click
Here for more information.
2/19/22
- Tuesday, March 15th, 2022 will be the deadline
for previously registered participants who
decide
- TO PARTICIPATE
to remit their remaining
balance due to us
- DECIDE NOT TO PARTICIPATE
to request a refund
2/15/22
- Our full price schedule has been announced
and all new participants must now pay the full
registration amount (initial deposits are no
longer being accepted). Click
Here for our full price schedule.
2/5/22
- If (and only if) you had originally registered
for our RAGBRAI Transportation Service in 2020
and
have
not
already re-registered for one of our events,
we will honor the original rates for this service
from 2020 for you and also guarantee you a seat
until 11:59 pm CST March 15th every year until
you use your
credit amount through a special, additional access
code for online
registration. After 12:00 am CST on March 16th,
you can still use your credit amount to register,
but you will need to pay the difference between
the rates
from 2020 and the current year. Click
Here for more information.
2/2/22
- RAGBRAI route announced! Starting, Overnight,
and Ending Town History updated. Click
Here for more information.
- We have updated the comparative rates to driving
yourself. Click
Here for more information.
- We will announce our
full pricing schedule after we have received
quotes back from
our coach bus companies for the 2022 route.
In the meantime, we are accepting registrations
on an initial deposit
basis before our full price schedule is announced
so you can be guaranteed a spot on our transportation
service and guarantee your personal plans as
appropriate. Click
Here to register!
1/10/22
- Initial Deposits to guarantee space on our
2022 RAGBRAI Transportation Service are now being
accepted! Click
Here to register!
1/9/22
- Registration for RAGBRAI is now based on a
first-come, first-served basis and no longer
utilizes a lottery system. Accordingly, we now
accept registrations on an initial deposit basis
before the RAGBRAI route and our full price schedule
is announced. This way you can be guaranteed
a spot on our transportation service immediately
after you initially register for RAGBRAI itself
and guarantee your personal plans as appropriate.
Click
Here for more information.
- The price schedule for our initial deposits
has been posted. Click
Here for more information.
- In order to assure that we
receive all of your information and payment
in a timely manner due to laspes in mail
service all registrations using initial deposits
(both before and after our full pricing schedule
is announced) must be done online.
12/3/21
- At this time we cannot determine the best way
to honor the original pricing schedule for postponed
participants of our RAGBRAI transportation service
from the 2020 season. This is because we will
not know how the pricing for the 2022 season
will compare
to the rates from 2020 until after the RAGBRAI
route is announced on Jan. 29th, 2022. However,
at this time we will at least guarantee that
a seat will be available for every previous registrant
of our RAGBRAI Transportation Service from 2020
until March 15th, 2022. Click
Here for more information about our
registration procedures for postponed 2020 participants.
11/15/21
- Web site updated with 2022 dates and information.
- Our transportation service from Chicago
to the start of RAGBRAI will occur
on Sat. July 23rd, 2022.
- Our transportation service from the
end of RAGBRAI to Chicago will occur
on Sat.
July 30th, 2022.
- Registration deadlines updated. Click
Here for more information.
- Information about the specific locations in
the starting and ending towns updated to general
information. The RAGBRAI starting and ending
towns 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.
- Due to conflicts with Lollapalooza we
have changed our supported hotel to the Crowne
Plaza Chicago West Loop from the Congress Plaza
Hotel. Click
Here for more information.
Major Previous RAGBRAI Transportation Service Specific Updates
Arrival In and Departure From Chicago
- The check in time in Chicago before the start
of RAGBRAI is now 8:00 am (30 minutes later)
in order to better accomodate participants arriving
on several Metra train lines. Accordingly, we
will now pick up bikes at the Chicago hotel at
7:00 am and immediately come over to the parking
garage to pick up bikes there.
- Pre-Event Bicycle Drop Off in Chicago
- We will now only be accepting and pre-loading
bicycles onto our moving truck on the Friday
before the start of RAGBRAI. We will no
longer also accept and pre-load bicycles
also on the Thursday before the start of
RAGBRAI. Click
Here for more information.
- We can now accept any non-upright bicycles
(recumbents, tandems, etc.)
- This opportunity is now available to
all participants and no longer limited
to the first 26 people. Click
Here for more information.
- We are extremely excited to announce that our
new main transportation staging point will now
be the Goose Island Brewery and Taproom in Chicago!
- Sadly, the Live Grit triathlon shop went
out of business and we are no
longer able to use them as our main transportation
staging point or bike shop in
Chicago.
Goose Island is close enough
though that
we are still able to use many
of the same facilities and services.
- We will still use the same supported
hotel in Chicago
and pick up and drop off bicycles
directly
there. Click
Here for
more information.
- We will still use the same parking
garage in Chicago
because of its fantastic rates,
but it is now
too
far from the main
transportation staging point to
quickly,
easily, or safely transport both
your bicycle
and baggage there
yourself. As a result, we will
now pick up and
drop
off bicycles directly
at the parking garage. Click
Here for
more information.
- Goose Island is still easily amenable to the
CTA L Green and Pink line trains but is now further
from the downtown Metra train stations. If you
will be travelling using Metra, it may be significantly
easier and faster to travel from the Metra train
station to the main transportation staging point
using a CTA L train or taxicab instead of walking
the entire way with your bike and/or baggage.
We also strongly recommend dropping off your
bike before the event as part of our Pre-Event
Bicycle Drop Off to make your commute even easier.
- Click
Here for more information
about walking and travelling using
a CTA L train of taxicab from the
Metra Train Stations to the Main
Transportation
Staging Point.
- Click
Here for more information
our Pre-Event Bicycle Drop Off.
- We
will only be providing routes
to the Chicago hotel for the long
distance public transportation
carriers (Amtrak, Greyhound, and Megabus) because
you should not plan on arriving/departing on
a long distance public transportation carrier
immediately before or after the event.
- We will
be offering a free pre-event bicycle drop off
service in Chicago on the Friday before
the start of RAGBRAI! Click
Here for more information.
- The Chicago hotel is too far from the main
transportation staging point to quickly, easily,
or safely transport both your bike and baggage
between them yourself, so we will have an additional
transportation staging point directly at the
hotel if you DO NOT have your own car
or alternate means of transportation.
- Before the start of RAGBRAI we will pick
up your bicycle and baggage directly at
the hotel at 7:00 am Saturday morning.
You will still need to transport yourself
to the main transportation staging point
after we pick up your bicycle and baggage. Click
Here for more information.
- Parking in Chicago
- If you are planning on parking your car
in Chicago long term you should purchase
your parking reservation online before
you arrive. Doing this is actually less expensive
than the posted rates at the garage
and significantly
helps assure a timely departure from
Chicago. Click
Here for more information.
- If you want to pay directly at the Chicago
parking garage, the kiosk there now automatically
calculates and charges you the total amount
owed after you leave based on the ticket
you received when you entered. It no longer
only issues tickets for the current day one
at a time. You no longer need to purchase
enough single day tickets that total to the
correct amount due for the total amount of
time you will leave your car parked there
in advance or leave all the tickets clearly
displayed on your dashboard so the garage
staff knows you have paid. Click
Here for more information.
- The Metra Electric
District (MED) trains to 93rd St. and
Blue Island now depart downtown after
our
latest possible arrival time in Chicago
after the end of RAGBRAI. You will not need
to make alternate transportation arrangements
if you were planning on taking these trains.
- We will determine the order in which we load
bicycles in Chicago depending on what makes
the most sense based on where our drop off locations
in the RAGBRAI starting town end up being.
Bicycle and Baggage Transportation
- We will now use different colored identification
tags to quickly and easily identify and properly
stage and load bikes and baggage to be delivered
to the different drop off locations at the start
of RAGBRAI and in Chicago after the end of RAGBRAI.
Bicycle Illinois specific identification tags
must be attached to your bicycle to be transported,
but people themselves and their baggage do not
need an identification
tag. Click
Here for more information.
- Not including carry on items, the size of each
participant's baggage must be limited to 5 square
feet so all baggage can fit in the baggage compartments
underneath the coach bus. Click
Here for more information.
- We will now give you two separate color coded
identification tags to put on your bicycle that
indicate where your bicycle should be dropped
off in the RAGBRAI starting town and after the
end in Chicago. We will not require you to put
identification tags on your baggage or yourself.
We will load all baggage going to the same drop
off location as one group in separate bus compartments
so that we can quickly and easily unload them
together. We will also have signs posted on each
coach bus baggage compartment door so you know
the appropriate place to stow your baggage and
these signs will also be color coded to match
the color of the identification tags on your
bicycle. Click
Here for more information.
Travel Times
- The duration of our mid-route stop and lunch
from Chicago to the start of RAGBRAI has increased
to one hour from 45 minutes. Click
Here for more information.
- All actual and estimated travel times have
been updated based on previous experience. Click
Here for more information about
the travel time from Chicago to the start of
RAGBRAI. Click
Here for more information about
the travel time from the end of RAGBRAI to Chicago.
Arrival at the RAGBRAI Starting Town
- We no longer need to
provide a route for you to follow from our
transportation
staging point to the camping location
for the charter services during the week
of RAGBRAI since we will
have a drop off location directly there.
Departure from the RAGBRAI Ending Town
- We will now have baggage
pick up locations at the RAGBRAI baggage truck
and also at the Pork Belly
Ventures camping location in the stopping town
before the ending town on the Saturday morning
at the
end of RAGBRAI. Depending on your personal plans
it may be much, much easier for you to deliver
your baggage to us at one of those locations
rather than transporting it yourself in the ending
town, particularly if our transportation staging
point is significantly far away from the RAGBRAI
main baggage drop off or Pork Belly
Ventures. Click
Here for more information.
- We will no longer indicate our route to our
transportation staging point in the RAGBRAI ending
town by using painted road markings designated
with "BI" directly on the road. You
will need to rely on our paper cue sheet(s) and
map and/or the downloaded GPS routes instead.
- We will arrive in the RAGBRAI ending town as
early as possible so you have secure, dry
place to leave your bicycle and baggage to prevent
us
from rushing to quickly load everyone's
bicycles and baggage all at the same time. We
will inform
you of our planned arrival time in
the ending town after May 1st.
- Based on overwhelming preference, our first
stop in Chicago after the end of RAGBRAI will
now be at the main transportation staging point
since this is where the majority of participants
will depart from. After we have unloaded all
participants and their bicycles and baggage at
the Chicago hotel we will proceed over to the
Chicago hotel where
we
will drop off all participants who are staying
there as well as their bikes and baggage. Click
Here for more information.
- Accordingly,
we will be staging up and loading the bicycles
and baggage of participants departing at the
Chicago hotel first to be able to unload them
last in Chicago. Click
Here for more information.
- The .pdf file of the cue sheet and map of the
route from the RAGBRAI ending location and dip
site to our transportation staging point in the
RAGBRAI ending town will be posted on the bicycleillinois.com
home page and our RAGBRAI transportation service
home page for you to download onto your smartphone
in case your paper copy gets lost or destroyed
during the week of RAGBRAI.
Other Event Services
- We are extremely excited to announce
that we have now partnered with Pork Belly
Ventures to provide charter services during
the week of RAGBRAI. Click
Here for more information.
- We are sad to announce that Bubba will
no longer be offering his charter services
during the week of RAGBRAI at all any
more. We wish Bubba and his crew all
the best in their future endeavors, and
appreciate their support through all
the years. Best of luck to you guys!!!!!!
- The late fee has increased by $5.00 from
$20.00 to $25.00 each way.
- Registration procedures for postponed 2020
participants posted. Click
Here for more information.
- No refunds will be issued in the event we
are unable to run an event due to circumstances
beyond our control. These circumstances include
but are not limited to disasters (natural and/or
manmade), pandemics, war, acts of terrorism,
government regulations, strikes, civil disorder,
curtailment of transportation facilities, or
acts of God. (Force Majure)
- Only online registration will be available
after regular registration closes four weeks
before the start of RAGBRAI in order to assure
that we receive all of your information and payment
in a timely manner due to laspes in mail service. Click
Here for more information.
- In order to maintain a current accurate list
of available seats and assure that we receive
all of your information and payment in a timely
manner due to laspes in mail service all registrations
must now be done online:
- After regular registration closes
- Once only ten seats remain on either
bus
- The fee for non-upright bicycles (recumbents,
tandems, etc.) has increased $5.00 to $25.00
each way.
- Our policies regarding one way transportation
have changed. Click
Here for more information.
- Our capacity has increased to 56 passengers
per coach bus.
- We have listed our prices from previous years
for reference so you can get an estimate of what
our prices will be for the current year before
the RAGBRAI starting and ending towns are announced
and plan your budget. Click
Here for more information.
- WE
NO LONGER ISSUE ANY REFUNDS AT ANY TIME FOR
ANY REASON. If you do not
participate and would like a refund you
MUST purchase an individual travel insurance
plan, which will reimburse you
according to the plan coverage. Click
Here for more information about
our refund policy.
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