RAGBRAI® TRANSPORTATION
Updates
General Company Wide Updates
RAGBRAI Transportation Service Specific
Updates for the 2018 Season
3/26/18
- External links added for more information
about the RAGBRAI starting and ending towns. Click
Here for more information about the RAGBRAI starting
town. Click
Here for more information about the
RAGBRAI ending town.
2/12/18
- Registration for Bubba's Pampered Pedalers charter
service during the week is now open! Click
Here for more information!
1/28/18
- RAGBRAI route announced! Starting,
Overnight, and Ending Town History updated. Click
Here for more information.
- Web site updated with 2018 dates and
information.
- Our transportation service from
Chicago to the start of RAGBRAI
will occur on Sat. July 21st,
2018.
- Our transportation service from
the end of RAGBRAI to Chicago will
occur on Sat. July 28th, 2018.
- Registration for our 2018 RAGBRAI Transportation
Service is now open! Click
Here to register!
- We have updated the comparative rates to driving
yourself. Click
Here for more information.
- 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.
- 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.
Major Previous RAGBRAI Transportation Service Specific Updates
Arrival In and Departure From Chicago
- Our bike shop and main transportation staging
point in Chicago have both changed to the Live
Grit triathlon store which is still within walking
or biking distance of all local and long distance
public transportation options in Chicago. Click
Here for more information.
- The parking garage is now only
0.5 miles from the main transportation
staging point and you can easily
walk or bike between them. Accordingly,
we will no longer need to come
over to there to pick up participants
on our way out of Chicago or
stop there firstto drop off participants
after the end of RAGBRAI.
- If you will be parking
your car in Chicago during
the week of RAGBRAI, you
will now need to walk back
to the main transportation
staging point after parking
your car there and should NOT stay
there and wait for us to
pick you up on our way
to the start of RAGBRAI.
- After the end of RAGBRAI,
you will need to walk over
to the parking garage from
the main transportation
staging point, pick up
your car, and drive back
over to the the main transportation
staging point to pick up
your bicycle and baggage.
- If you are planning on having
your bike boxed and shipped to
and/or from Chicago you will
be able to pick it up and/or
drop it off directly at the bike
shop yourself since it now also
our main transportation staging
point. As a result we will no
longer need to offer bicycle
shipment pick up and delivery
service in Chicago.
- Travel times from all train
stations in Chicago to the main
transportation staging point
have been updated. Click
Here for more information.
- Including the travel
time from the train
station to our main
transportation staging
point, the Rock Island
District (RI) and
Metra Electric District
(ME) from 93rd St.
and Blue Island (not
University Park)
trains now also arrive
significantly later
than our check in
time. If you will
be arriving on one
of these train lines
we can still accommodate
you, but you must
inform us you will
be doing so when
you register so that
we will expecting
you to arrive late.
If you do not specifically
inform us that you
will be arriving
on one of these Metra
trains we will not
wait for you.
- Because 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 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 6:30
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.
- After the end of
RAGBRAI our first
stop in Chicago will
be at the Chicago
hotel where we will
drop off all participants
who are staying there
as well as their
bikes and baggage.
Accordingly, we will
be staging up and
loading the bicycles
and baggage of participants
departing at the
Chicago hotel last
to be able to unload
them first in Chicago. Click
Here for
more information.
- A quick grab and go type breakfast
will now be available only a
block away from the main transportation
staging point! Click
Here for more information.
- We will be offering a free pre-event bicycle
drop off service in Chicago on the Thursday and
Friday before the start of RAGBRAI! Click
Here for more information.
- Parking in Chicago
- The daily cost for parking in Chicago has
increased to $20.00 per weekday. it is still
$10.00 per weekend day.
- 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.
- The Metra Electric
District (MED) trains to 93rd St. and Blue
Island are now departing 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.
- Routes added from all Metra train stations
to the main transportation staging point by either
walking and/or using the CTA L trains. Click
Here for more information.
- We will load the bikes and baggage of people
parking their car in Chicago first to allow them
plenty of time to drive over to the parking garage
and walk back. This will also free up room on
the street as they move their cars.
Bicycle and Baggage Transportation
- We will now use four 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 now be attached to your bicycle and baggage
to be transported, but people themselves do not
need to wear a wristband. 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.
Charter Service During the Week of RAGBRAI
- We have partnered with Bubba's Pampered Pedalers
to provide charter services during the week. Click
Here for more information.
- If you use Bubba's Pampered Pedalers charter
service during the week, your baggage will be
delivered to our transportation staging point
from them and you will not need to transport
it yourself or go back to their location at the
end of RAGBRAI for any reason. Click
Here for more information.
- We will no longer need to provide
a route for you to follow from
Bubba's Pampered Pedalers location
to our transportation staging
point at the end of RAGBRAI.
- Bubba's Pampered Pedalers now offers a less
expensive "Mini-PAMPERING" option. Click
Here for more information and Click
Here to download the registration
form for Bubba's Pampered Pedalers charter service.
Travel Times
- All actual and estimated travel times have
been updated based on previous experience. Click
Here for more information. 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 will now have two drop off locations at
the start of RAGBRAI, either at our transportation
staging point (close to the RAGBRAI main campground)
or at Bubba's Pamered Pedalers camping location.
- We can still drop you off at Bubba's
Pamered Pedalers camping location if it
is closer to your final destination in
the RAGBRAI starting town even if you will
not be using their charter services during
the week.
- You must let us know which location you
want us to drop you off at so that we can
properly load bikes and baggage in Chicago.
If you register for our transportation
service before these locations have been
determined and don't know which location
you want use, we will follow up with you
after they are determined. Click
Here for more information.
- We will no longer need to provide a route
for you to follow from our transportation
staging point to the Bubba's Pampered Pedalers
camping location at the start of RAGBRAI.
- 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.
Departure from the RAGBRAI Ending Town
- 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. Click
Here for more information.
Other Event Services
- 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.
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