Wind At Your Back™

Under Construction-Coming This Spring

 

Traditional Irish Blessing …

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
The rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

What we do

We provide passenger and bike shuttle transportation for the Fox Valley Area and throughout Chicago’s suburbs. We strive to make your next bike ride a worry-free adventure by making the ride safe, convenient and the bike trails accessible to the accomplished and novice rider.

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  • We provide passenger and bike shuttle transportation to the Fox Valley Area.
  • We pick you up at your designated Pickup location and transport you and your bike to the designated Drop-off location anywhere in the Chicago metropolitan area.
  • We schedule rider and bicycle transports 7 days a week.
  • We use enclosed trailers specifically designed for bike transportation. The bikes are safely secured and protected from the elements. The front wheels are not removed and remain on the bike during transport. Each bike is secured in a “bike cradle” during transport.
  • We transport road, mountain, E, fat-tire, three-wheel bikes and child carriers.
  • For racing or century rides we provide Pickup location and Drop-off Location and pickup service for bags, bike, and gear to and from your hotel.

 

When you go for bike ride you will face a headwind when leaving or returning to your starting point. When you ride against the wind you will use two times as much energy and its takes twice as long to cover the same distance.

“Half the battle when you’re faced with a long stretch of headwind is your head. It can be disheartening to ride twice as hard as normal yet going twice as slowly.” Science: Why the wind is always against you | New Scientist

Riding against the wind is not a pleasant experience …

  • Your eyes dry out
  • It is difficult to communicate the with the riders behind you
  • Wind gusts can push your off the trail
  • You will be battered and exhausted when you return home

The simple solution is to ride with the Wind At Your Back™. Fox River Transportation solves the unsolvable conundrum of how to avoid the wind in your face on a round-trip bike ride.

How? Depending upon which way the wind is blowing on the day of your ride we will pick you up from the Pickup location and select a trailhead Drop-off location so the wind will be at your back during your ride.

The Fox Valley Area enjoys five bike trails that enter the area from the East, West, South, and North. Wind At Your Back™ drops the riders off at a location so they can enjoy a one-way bike ride with the Wind At Your Back™. Of course, if someone wants to ride against the wind, we will be more than happy to oblige.

You choose how many miles you want to ride that day, and we take you to your Drop-off location. In planning your ride keep in mind that you are going on a one-way bike adventure so you can extend the length of your bike ride since you will not be doubling back on your ride, and the Wind At Your Back™ solution shortens the ride time.

How much advance notice is needed? We schedule on fist come first served basis. Same day bookings are accepted if we have openings in our schedule.

What is the earliest time in the morning we can schedule a trip? The earliest time we schedule a pickup is 5:00 AM.

What information do we have to provide when scheduling a trip? The following details are needed for us to provide a quote for a Fixed Flat Rate™

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Group Contact Name
Alternate Contact Name
Emergency Contact Name (Not on Bike Ride)

Can we cancel the transport and is there a charge for cancellations? We do not charge for a cancellation with notice. We understand sometimes things unexpectedly happen. Please recognize our schedule is a commitment of resources. All we ask is that you give us a courtesy call as soon as you know about the cancellation. Please see Cancellations and No-Show Fee in our Terms & Conditions.

The cost for a scheduled transport is determined by the time and distance traveled. To Keep It Simple for the Communities We Serve Best  we provide a Fixed Flat Rate™ based on the number of adult passengers transported and distance between the Pickup Location and the Drop-off Location. The more riders we transport the lower the cost per person.

We provide a Flat Fixed Rate™ cost per person based on your unique trip requirements. The price quoted is fixed and will change only if additional Pickup locations or Drop-off Locations are added after we provide our Fixed Flat Rate™ quote.

What if a rider in a group does not show up for the scheduled transport? We will adjust the rate billed per passenger to the number of remaining passengers in the group.

Will you pickup and drop-off riders in the same group at multiple locations? Yes, but we will add include in our quote Out of Route Milage needed to complete the pickup or drop-off of the passengers in the group. To avoid the Out of Route Milage cost we suggest someone in the group coordinate a single Pickup Location.

Do you combine riding groups to reduce the price per person? We leave combining group up to you since there are too many variables to allow us to attempt to coordinate multiple groups schedules.

Is there a charge for waiting time? The miles driven to complete a transport is known and does not change. Delays to needed to compete a transport do occur. For example, if wait for a tardy rider Waiting Time may be assessed. In our Fixed Flat Rate™ we provide ½ hour of loading time at the Pickup Location and ½ hour of unloading time at the Drop-off location. After ½ hour we may bill Waiting Time at $60.00 per hour in 15-minute increments.

When do you bill for the transport? Final payment is required at arrival at the Pickup. See our SCHEDULING & PAYMENT and TERMS & CONDITIONS pages for details on our payment policies. The credit card is not charged until after Out of Route Milage and Waiting Time is known. (Cash, personal checks or Zellle® are also accepted.)

Scheduling, Booking & Payment Terms & Conditions


Do you discount your Fixed Flat Rates™? Yes

  • Recurring Scheduled Transports We provide discounted rates for individuals and bike club members.
  • Child Bike Carrier Discounts We encourage family outings and there is no charge for children who ride in child bike trailers. The maximum number of child carriers per transport is five (5).
  • Other Discount Programs. See the DISCOUNT & LOYALTY PROGRAMS page for discount offerings.

Discount Programs


We offer the following suggestions to help the group ride safe, comfortable, and enjoyable.

What is the best Pickup Location? Select a Pickup Location that allows your group to park your vehicles for the time needed to complete the ride.

Can you transport child bike trailers? Yes, for safety reasons our limit is 10 seat belted passengers. The maximum number of child trailers is 5. You are welcome to provide your child car seat for younger passengers. We will return the child car seat to car at the Pickup Location. Please see Our Child Guarantee for our suggested maximum ride length for children.

Do you have suggestions for where to go on a bike ride? There are so many alternatives we leave planning your bike adventure up to you. We have provided a listing of bike route planning tools. You can also Google “bike routes near “Name of Community” for ideas.

https://www.mapmyride.com
https://www.bikemap.net/en/routeplanner/
https://ridewithgps.com/route_planner
https://evelo.com/blogs/learn/how-to-create-a-bicycling-route-with-google-maps
https://biketoeverything.com/2020/06/10/how-to-plan-a-fun-bike-route-with-google-maps/

Batavia Bicycle Commission – Home (bikingbatavia.org)
Batavia Great 8 Bike Challenge (2015)
Batavia Bicycle Trail System (2015)
DuPage Country Trail System Map
Fox River Bike Trails
Illinois Prairie Path Map
Kane County Bike Map (2017-2018)

How long does it to ride from the drop-off destination to the pickup to your return location?

A Rule of Thumb for an accomplished rider is 5 minutes per mile. The link explains what will determine your total trip time. https://www.bikingpleasure.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-bike-a-mile/

What should we bring on our ride? It depends if you are planning a short or long bike ride and who will be in the group. The following links give guidelines for items to pack.

slocyclist.com/how-to-pack-for-a-long-or-short-bike-ride/
https://www.sounddefense.com/day-long-bike-ride-05.html

At a minimum we suggest water, snacks, a bicycle helmet, sunglasses and first aid kit. If children are with the group, you may want to bring a change of clothes and wet wipes. Remember … No diaper is left behind so bring plastic bag to bring everything home.

Pee and Poop Advice? Everyone goes sometimes and everyone should use the restroom before they leave for their drop-off destination. If on your journey nature calls you need to have a plan. Pee is in the great outdoors simple and easy. Pooping is much more involved. If there is not a public bathroom on your route, please Watch YouTube video POOPING IN THE WOODS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is1129hVyyAh for advice on how to get the job done and learn what to include in a Poop Kit.

Why do you use an enclosed trailer to transport the bikes and gear? It is all about ease of use. With an enclosed the trailer, the rider’s bikes are protected from the elements (dust, rain, rocks, road debris and bug guts). There is nothing worse than sitting on a dirty wet seat to start your ride. We use a ramp to quickly roll on-roll off the bikes. The locking system allows the front tires remain on the bike which reduces the time needed to load and unload the bikes and the group to be on their way.

Think it Through … If you are a parent, you should carefully consider the time and distance you think your child can tolerate in a bike trailer, the stamina of younger bikers and of course your own physical abilities since you are responsible for everyone in the group.

How long does it to ride from the drop-off destination to the pickup to your return location?
A Rule of Thumb for an accomplished rider is 5 minutes per mile. The link explains what will determine your approximate trip time. https://www.bikingpleasure.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-bike-a-mile/

Our Child Guarantee … For young children we do not recommend a drop-off destination of more than 15 miles. If you experience a “child meltdown” or equipment failure and your Drop-off Destination is 15 miles or less, we will retrieve your group and return everyone to the original Pickup Location at no additional charge.

Don’t have a bike or child trail carrier? We have relationships with bike rentals shops in the Fox Valley area that can help you with bike and child trailer rentals.

We have partnered with the following rental bike shops that allow Wind At Your Back™ passengers to park their cars for the duration of your ride.

Prairie Path Cycles 160 W Wilson St. Batavia, IL (630) 406-9749 https://www.prairiepathcycles.com
Mill Race Cyclery 11 E State St. Geneva, IL (630) 232-2833 https://www.millrace.com/
Bike Rack Inc Geneva, IL St. Charles, IL (630) 584-6558 https://www.thebikerack.com/
Pedal & Spoke, Ltd. 157 S Lincolnway St. North Aurora, IL (630) 892-1010 https://www.pedalandspoke.com/
All Spoked Up 14 W Downer Pl. Ste 10 Aurora, IL (630) 801-9005 www.allspokedup.com
Sammy’s Bikes 602 S First St. St. Charles, IL (630) 444-0690 https://www.sammysbikes.com/
The Village Pedaler 1954 Gyorr Ave South Elgin, IL (847) 741-5938 https://www.villagepedaler.com/
Sigma Sports USA 3487 Swenson Ave St. Charles, IL (630) 761-1106 https://sigma.bike/

It is all about communication …

  • Pickup Location is the agreed up on address where all riders gather prior to departure.
  • Drop-off Location is the address where the ride begins for the group.
  • Transport Time is the amount of time needed to leave the Pickup Location and reach the Drop-off Location.
  • Contract Rates are negotiated transport rates that are outside of Fixed Flat Rate™.
  • Round Trip Milage is the total distance between the Pickup Location and the Drop-off Location and return by the driver to the original Pickup Location.
  • Out of Route Milage are any additional miles requested by the customer during a transport that are outside of the shortest route from the Pickup Location and delivery to the Drop-off Location and return to the Pickup Location.
  • Communities We Serve Best are Batavia, Geneva, North Aurora, Saint Charles, and Wayne.
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