Local Public Transportation
All transportation staging points in Chicago are within walking or biking distance of all local public transportation options. In fact, we strongly recommend avoiding driving entirely to get to and/or from the entire event if possible!

• Click Here for more information about local public transportation.
• 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 long distance public transportation.

Long Distance Public Transportation
If you will be travelling a long distance such as from the east coast, west coast, or even internationally, travelling through Chicago and using our RAGBRAI transportation service can be an extremely convenient and cost effective option. Chicago is the largest public transportation hub in the entire midwest and home to the closest major international airports to RAGBRAI - O'Hare (ORD) and Midway (MDW). Flying through Chicago may be a much better alternative to flying through the Omaha, Quad Cities, or Des Moines airports.

If you will be travelling by means of long distance public transportation we have some VERY STRONG PLANNING RECOMMENDATIONS to save yourself a significant amount of hassle:

• Plan on arriving in Chicago no later than early afternoon on the Friday before the start of RAGBRAI and departing Chicago no earlier than Sunday afternoon after the end of RAGBRAI in order to give yourself enough time to drop off and pick up your bicycle as part of our standard bicycle transportartion service. ABSOLUTELY DO NOT PLAN ON ARRIVING IN CHICAGO ON THE SATURDAY MORNING BEFORE THE START OF RAGBRAI WE ARE DEPARTING OR LEAVING CHICAGO THE ON THE SATURDAY NIGHT AFTER THE END OF RAGBRAI WE ARRIVE BACK. Before the start of RAGBRAI we cannot wait for you to arrive if you are not at the Chicago hotel by the time we are ready to depart Chicago. We also cannot guarantee our travel schedule, particularly our actual arrival time back in Chicago after the end of RAGBRAI, and we will not be responsible for any fares you may lose or additional costs you may incur if we do not arrive back in time for you to fulfill your individual travel schedule.
  • Click Here for more information about the Saturday morning in Chicago before the start of RAGBRAI.
  • Click Here for more information about the Saturday evening in Chicago after the end of RAGBRAI.
• If you need to spend the night in in Chicago, you should stay at the supported hotel. Many other participants also will be staying there as well.
  • Click Here for more information about the Chicago hotel.
• Ship your bicycle and do not carry it with you at all.
  • Click Here for more infomation about transporting your bicycle aboard long distance public transportation.
  • Click Here for more infomation about bicycle shipping.
• Drop off and pick up your fully assembled bicycle with us as part of our standard bicycle transportation service to make things significantly easier and less hectic.
  • Click Here for more infomation about our standard bicycle transportation service.
• If necessary, drop off and pick up your fully assembled bicycle directly at the Chicago hotel as part of our premium bicycle transportation service
  • Click Here for more infomation about our premium bicycle transportation service.