All participants must have arrived at the Chicago hotel by 8:00 am Saturday morning

We will not have a set departure time from Chicago. Instead, we have a set arrival deadline time when all participants must have arrived at the Chicago hotel. If you have not arrived by the time we are ready to leave (as quickly or as long as that is after the arrival deadline time) we cannot wait for you. Click Here for more information about the coach bus and premium bicycle transportation service staging point at the Chicago hotel. Click Here for the overall policies and procedures that will apply to our RAGBRAI transportation service from Chicago to the start of RAGBRAI.

If you dropped off your bicycle with us as part of our standard bicycle transportation service pre-event drop off on Friday or are not travelling with a bicycle the only thing you will need to do on Saturday morning in Chicago is load your baggage into the appropriate compartment underneath the coach busses and board the bus!

If you arrive at the Chicago hotel before the coach busses arrive, you will need to attend to your baggage at all times because our staff will be very busy performing other duties and unable to watch it for you before you can load it onto the coach bus.

Arrival Using Local Public Transportation
You will be able to arrive at the Chicago hotel before the arrival deadline time if you take any CTA bus.

Most CTA L and Metra trains arrive in Chicago early enough for you to reach the Chicago hotel before the arrival deadline (including walking time from the station). However, if you take some trains you may arrive after the deadline. Please check your specific train schedule carefully and plan your trip to ensure you arrive at the hotel on time.

• Click Here for the earliest arrival and latest departure times in downtown Chicago for all CTA L and Metra train lines.

• Click Here for more information about the CTA L trains serving the Chicago hotel.
• Click Here for more information about the CTA busses.
• Click Here for more information about the Metra train stations serving the Chicago hotel.

Premium Bicycle Transportation Service
If you are transporting your bicycle as part of our premium bicycle transportation service on Saturday morning, you must drop off your bicycle with us at the Chicago hotel at 6:30 am in order to give us enough time to get you checked in and your bike loaded onto our bicycle moving truck.

The only way to definitely avoid waiting for your bicycle to arrive and be able to pick it up immediately when you arrive at the RAGBRAI starting town is to drop it off with us as part of our standard bicycle transportation service pre-event drop off on the Friday before the start of RAGBRAI.

• Click Here for more information about our bicycle transportation services.

Long Term Parking
If you will be parking your car long term in Chicago during the week of RAGBRAI you will need to transport yourself back to the the Chicago hotel after you park your car. It is critically important that you arrive back at the Chicago hotel by our arrival deadline time and we strongly recommend parking your car as early as possible to give yourself the longest possible amount of time to do so.

There are plenty of options to get back to the Chicago hotel from the parking garage quickly and easily. By far the best option is to split a taxicab or ride share with your fellow participants and we estimate this would cost approximately $12.00 (plus $1.50 per additional passenger) and is only about a 10 minute ride. Otherwise you could also take a #20 Madison CTA bus back from the parking garage or walk about 15 minutes the 0.8 miles between the parking garage and Chicago hotel.

We strongly recommend taking your baggage with you in your car to the parking garage and transporting it back with you to the Chicago hotel so it is not unattended at any time. Our staff will be very busy performing other duties and unable to watch it for you while your park your car.

• Click Here for more information about the Chicago Parking Garage