General Company Wide Updates

• Click Here for general company wide updates.

RAIL North Specific Updates for the 2020 Season

2/6/20

• There will be an additional $25.00 fee to transport recumbents and tandems on any transportation service. However a tandem bicycle will not incur an additional fee if both people riding it register for the same transportation service.

2/4/20

• We will have two separate transportation staging points in Chicago for our transportation service from Chicago to Moline before the start of the event - both at the ending location and at the Greyhound bus station. Doing this allows us to best accomodate people who will and will not be parking their car in Chicago during the event. When you register you will indicte which location is most convenient for you to drop off your bike at. Click Here for more information.

1/24/20

• Our opening meeting on the day before the event will now be held at 7:15 pm in order to better accomodate participants arriving on Amtrak trains or driving from Chicago. Click Here for more information.

1/21/20

• Registration is now open for RAIL North! Click Here to register!
• Additional notes added for daily long distance public transportation services from Chicago to Moline. Click Here for more information.
• Only online registration will be available four weeks before the start of the event in order to assure that we receive all of your information and payment in a timely manner due to laspes in mail service. This includes all late registrations. Click Here for more information.
• We have increased the price of the event by $10.00. However we have also implemented an increasing price schedule where you can still register at last year's prices for a limited time. Click Here for more information.
• Web site updated with 2020 dates.
  • RAIL North will occur on Sun. June 21st, 2020.

Major Previous RAIL North Specific Updates

• The ending location in Chicago is now at the Diversey Driving Range in Chicago right off Lake Michigan. 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.
• In order to accommodate our Bike Wisconsin events, RAIL North will be held on the Sunday on or before June 21st (the longest day of the year) on a recurring basis. Click Here for the dates of the future RAIL North events.
  • The biggest benefit to riding on Sunday will be much less stress since you will have more time on Saturday to travel to the start of the event and prepare for the ride. You won’t have to rush after work on Friday or attend our opening meeting so early at 4:30 am on Saturday before what is already an incredibly long day. People who normally work on Saturdays will also have the opportunity to participate now.
  • The biggest drawback to riding on Sunday is that you will have much less time to rest and recover from the ride before work/school on Monday. Also our transportation service after the end of the event that will now occur on Monday instead of Sunday.
• Based on participant feedback we will not longer be riding on Galena Ave. in Aurora. All related route information has been updated.
• A supported lunch stop will be available directly on the route at the Subway restaurant in Hinckley, only 0.5 miles after rest stop 3. Click Here for more information.
• The route opening and closing times will be at 5:30 am and 8:30 pm ("about" sunrise & sunset) for year after year consistency purposes and to make the route opening and closing times easier to remember for participants on the road.
• Ice cream stores have been added to list of in town facilities for all stopping towns.
• The regular registration deadline is now two weeks before the start of the event which is the same cut-off date as the one for our room block at our supported hotel in Moline.
• Information has been added about Return Metra train service to downtown Chicago from Aurora and Glen Ellyn. Click Here for more information.
• Rest stop 3 is now in Hinckley and the route into and out of Hinckley primarily follows county back roads.
• The route now directly follows the fully paved Great River Trail immediately out of the supported hotel in Moline.
• We now allow trikes (any bicycle with three or more wheels) to participate in our events. However, all participants riding trikes must provide their own on road support for them at all times because we cannot guarantee that we will be able to easily or quickly transport them off the road in any support vehicle in case of mechanical breakdown. In addition, we still cannot accomodate any trikes on any of our transportation services. Click Here for more information.
• When you check in you can now request that we give you your t-shirt and any other merchandise items at the ending location instead. No more worrying about where to put your new stuff during the ride!