November 15, 2024

Dear Friends,


It's a long and lovely autumn in Iowa. We hope this update finds you restful, enjoying that brief lull before the holidays, being cozy at home, and beginning to think about next year's summer adventures. Please know that we at Pork Belly Ventures would love to be part of your 2025 cycling season.

IN THIS UPDATE:

  • Registration for RAGBRAI Itself is OPEN.
  • When to Sign Up for RAGBRAI and Our PBV Charter
  • Pork WinterWear! Maybe a Christmas present!
  • Detail on RAGBRAI's Registration
  • A List of PBV Shuttles
  • Description of PBV Weeklong Support, Etc.
  • A Note on the Rest of Our Season!

Dates for 2025

RAGBRAI/PBV Registration


Be sure to mark your calendars with the dates below!

November 15, TODAY, RAGBRAI itself has opened for registration. Pay attention, friends, to price increases throughout the season, but know that registration at RAGBRAI.com will remain open until June 11th. While you don't have to feel pressure to register for the event now, do remember that any rider who signs up with any charter, including ours, must be a registered RAGBRAI rider.

January 1, Wednesday, Pork Belly Ventures will open registration for our Weeklong Support (for riders, for non-riders, and for children under age 13), as well as our Optional Rental Tent Service. This year, the tent service did sell out pretty early, but our support was available throughout the season. Every year is a new ballgame, folks, but we don't anticipate an early or sudden sell-out of any service this coming year.

January 25, Saturday, the 2025 route of RAGBRAI will be announced. For months now, our Ride Director Matt Phippen (right) has been working on the route and communicating with the overnight and pass-through towns. We will learn the route at the big announcement party in Des Moines in late January! The announcement of the route could possibly bring on a rush of registrations to PBV--we just can't predict.


ABOVE: As always, we'll have a booth

at the big Bike Expo on January 25th!

BELOW: Our silly crew at the 2024 Route Announcement Party!

Shortly after January 25, when we know the route, PBV will publish shuttle pricing and open shuttle registration. We must know the distances of our shuttles before we can price them. So do bear in mind, if you sign up for support in early January, you may need to login later to add whatever shuttles you need. We offer three shuttles before RAGBRAI (two from airport hotels), three shuttles after RAGBRAI (returning to airport hotels or to the airport itself), and even a few shuttles during RAGBRAI, when partial-week riders need to enter or exit the ride. More on this below.

Pork WinterWear!

Something for YOU and/or

Your Cycling Friends,

As the Holidays Draw Near!


The sleighbells are not quite ringing yet, friends, and we have a gift idea for you! For a long time, we've wanted to create a quality long-sleeved garment, suitable for cycling or socializing, that we ourselves would be happy to wear during the winter months! And with the help of our team, we found it in 100% Australian Merino Wool, very well suited for cold weather rides or just a casual evening out. The branding is subtle, but a tiny version of our pedaling pig is embroidered on the left chest, above the slogan "Enjoy the Ride."


If you want it for Christmas, we can give you a week. If you can order your Enjoy the Ride Sweater by November 21, then we'll get this item shipped out to you on or by December 12, in time for you to wrap it up for a friend or don it for a holiday party.


This quality garment with embroidery is $120.00, and shipping is $11. Adult sizing, S to 2XL. (More detail on care and sizing on the order page.)

ABOVE: the front of our Enjoy the Ride Sweater,

with our little pedaling pig embroidered on the left chest.


BELOW: Our Enjoy the Ride Sweater, back

Here's a link to login and order on our site:


Order Your Enjoy the Ride Sweater!


If you have trouble or a question, please reach out to Becca@pkbelly.com.

Details on

RAGBRAI Registration


Our friends at RAGBRAI have shared some details on registration this year!


🙂 Registration opens today, November 15th, and closes on June 11th. We copied this Registration Price Schedule from RAGBRAI's website: 

  • Early Registration: $230 (November 15, 2024-December 31, 2024) 
  • Tier 1 Registration: $250 (January 1, 2025-February 28, 2025) 
  • Tier 2 Registration: $275 (March 1, 2025- March 31, 2025) 
  • Tier 3 Registration: $300 April 1, 2025-April 30, 2025) 
  • Tier 4 Registration: $350 (May 1, 2025-May 31, 2025) 
  • Late/Non-Refundable: $350 (June 1, 2025-June 11, 2025) 


🙂 The refund policy has been revised. Find it on their FAQ Page.


🙂 RAGBRAI now offers a protection plan that riders can purchase! Learn more HERE.


🙂 Registration packets will be received during the first week of July, and NEW this year, your packet will be mailed to YOU, not to your team leader.

🙂 If you're on the fence, listen to the latest JustGoBike podcast episode for the Top 10 Reasons to Ride RAGBRAI!


🙂 If you're ready to register, you can do so HERE!

If you're familiar with PBV, then you may have come to the end of the useful info in this update, friends.


But to all you RAGBRAI Newbies, we include more below to familiarize you with what we can offer in terms of shuttles and support during RAGBRAI! Oh, and we include a Note on our 2025 Season at the end--so scroll for that!

And Finally...


Our off-season is coming to a close, and we fully expect to be in the office for part of each day, answering your emails or answering your questions on the phone! Cell phone numbers are best!


Again, we hope that we'll be seeing you on RAGBRAI or one one of our smaller events during the 2025 season, and until then, we wish you a happy and peaceful holiday season!


All our best...


Tammy and Pete

A List of PBV Shuttles

Pricing of these shuttles will depend on the distances, and we'll publish prices when we know the route. For now, here is basic info about shuttles.


Prior to RAGBRAI:

  • From an Omaha Airport hotel parking lot to the start town, multiple departures about every hour, Saturday, 8:00 to 4:00 PM. Strongly recommend flying in on Friday. This airport is closest to the start.
  • From a Des Moines Airport hotel parking lot to the start town, one departure at 9:00 AM Saturday. Des Moines is not close to the start or end town. It's in the middle of the state.
  • From End town to Start Town, with Friday departures at 1:00 and 3:00 PM, and Saturday departures at 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 AM. This is not an airport shuttle. Parking is available in the end town, so that riders may shuttle with us across Iowa and ride RAGBRAI back to their vehicles

After RAGBRAI:

  • Return to Omaha airport hotel parking lot from end town on Saturday afternoon, the last day of RAGBRAI, with several departure times within a two-hour window. Usually 4.5 hours or longer. Does not go directly to the airport.
  • Return to Des Moines airport hotel parking lot from end town, with one afternoon departure time on Saturday, the last day of RAGBRAI. Does not go directly to the airport.
  • Shuttle to an eastern Iowa airport, the closest to the end town, to be announced after we know the route. Usually three departure times within a two hour window. This one drops you off at the Departures area of the airport.


During RAGBRAI:

For partial-week riders, we will offer enter and exit shuttles on Tuesday, and possibly an exit shuttle on the Wednesday of RAGBRAI. More info to come, once we know the route.

You may wonder...


What's Included in

PBV's Weeklong Support?


We usually save this detail for our annual Invitation Letter, which we'll publish close to January 1 of the coming year. But for some of you RAGBRAI Newbies who may not be familiar with our charter, here's an abbreviated list of inclusions for our most popular service--Weeklong Support.


Daily Transport of 2 Bags Per Person... whether you set up your own tent or use our rental tent, we allow two bags for each rider.


Spacious RESERVED PBV Campsites in parks or on school propery, or on private property, such as a local business or church.


Hot and Private Showers Daily on air-conditioned shower trailers, with usually no less than 76 shower heads in our campsite. We own our own shower trailers and our crew cleans each stall after every use. Each shower stall has it's own dressing area, and we provide the body wash. (Showers close at 8:00 PM, because they move at night.)


Well-Placed Kybos in Camp and our Well-Lighted Restroom Trailer with Flushing Fixtures. More in our invitation letter!


Three Evening Meals in Camp Included--provided by a local caterer in the overnight town. We work with local restaurants, caterers, churches to provide hearty meals every night, three of which are included and three of which are optional.


Live Music on Stage Every Night. From Saturday to Friday, enjoy a variety of bands on Pork Stage during dinner and until about dark.


Shade Canopies and Misting Fans. Our social zone is shady, and you're welcome to come on in under the canopies and join a conversation!


The PBV Team Shirt, usually a cotton blend, is provided to every weeklong riders with PBV and partial-week riders doing at least three days with us. Claim yours at check-in!


Phone-Charging Trailers seem like little post offices, as the walls are lined with compartments with plexiglass doors and a duplex outlet at the back.


Our Friendly Front Desk Crew to Direct and Help!


Campsite Orientation Board (COB) Getting oriented to camp is a daily thing! This board is always located at one end of our Front Desk trailer--big Google Maps of each campsite and moveable magnetic pieces directing you to all parts of our infrastructure. Upon arrival in camp, check out the COB.


Ice-Cold Beverages at the Front Desk, $1 or $2 apiece, plus Free Lemonade in the afternoon and through dinner.


Hot Morning Coffee at Our Coffee Trailer One awning swings open for coffee service, and another for cream and sugar. Krista starts brewing at 4:30 a.m., six gallons every eight minutes. Hot tea, too.


Massage Therapy Our team of eleven therapists are excellent. You can book 15, 30, or 60 minutes of restorative massage, and you can book in advance. (additional charge, paid to your therapist)


Sunset Yoga is free to our riders and accessible for beginners!


Professional Bike Mechanics, expert guys and girls, set up in camp daily from 3:00 p.m. on to help you with minor repairs. You're welcome to tip, but their service is free for those on our support.


Full-Service Bike Shop in Camp Forgot something? You can go shopping right in Pork Camp with our partner bike shop on site, limited hours, usually in the evening.


PBV's Midweek Laundry Service. Give us your dirty duds on Tuesday. We'll give them back to you Wednesday, fresh and folded. This service is optional, for an extra charge.


Breakfast Vendors and All-Day Food Vendors in Camp

Though vendor offerings aren't free, it's extremely convenient to have a breakfast vendor beside the coffee trailer every morning and a food vendor near the front desk every afternoon. We work with LOCAL vendors, so that our stay benefits the local community.


Indoor Sleeping Opportunities. We try to arrange indoor sleeping in a church, school, YMCA, or other facility on as many nights of RAGBRAI as possible. Riders make a donation to benefit both our hosts. With any luck, we could offer indoor sleeping 3-5 nights. We'll see how we fare this year!


Water Thingy. Our first-ever thingy is a RAGBRAI classic for brushing teeth and filling water bottles. It's a table, plumbed with five spigots and equipped with a mirror on both sides. Use it to cool off. This Thingy is available all day, all night, and in the morning until 7:00 a.m.


Pump Thingy, a special compressor and pressure regulator to make pumping your tires a breeze.


Free weeklong storage of your hard-shell bike case or box (for those who bring a case on the plane or ship the bike to Iowa). Storage is free to weeklong Porkers.


Luxury SAG Service Sometimes you need a day off the bike, and we offer a ride from overnight town to overnight town. We describe this service more fully in our invitation letter. Additional charge.


Our big friendly, able-bodied, can-do crew numbered 120 last year (not including bike mechanics or massage therapists). Some of them you'll see every day, and others work behind the scenes. All are here to help, comfort, and revive you.


BELOW: our Campground Orientation Board, the COB!

Other Needs: If you don't know who to ask, start at the front desk. There, we have band aids, a hammer for your stakes, a ziplock bag, and answers.


Regular informative email updates to help you plan and prepare


PBV Host-Town Maps sent to you in PDF format, showing our campsites in relationship to other amenities, with GeoBike Elevation Statistics for each RAGBRAI day.


PBV Locations Card Our laminated card with campsite locations in each overnight town. You can zip-tie it to your handlebars!


Prompt answers to your questions on email and by phone.


Our comprehensive June Letter with virtually all the info you need in one document.


The Pork Belly Mobile App for Smartphones, to help you learn more about our charter and RAGBRAI before the ride, with useful tools like route maps and much more!


NOTE: for partial-week riders, these services are included on the days they're with us. Partial-week riders may join us for any number of consecutive days.


BELOW: The Strong Men of Pork Belly Ventures,

our baggage loaders!

What's Included in

PBV's Optional Rent Tent Service?


We include the tent, the ground cloth, the rain fly, and all the labor of set-up, take-down, and moving the bags in and out of the tent throughout the week of RAGBRAI. We don't include an air mattress, and our rental tents will be set up on an average piece of ground in camp, which may or may not be the closest to all of our equipment on any given day. So the tent service is definitely a labor saver, but it does not insure the best location in camp.

A Note on Our 2025 Season,

May to October!


We're making our plans for the coming season, and you can pretty much assume that if we supported a bicycle tour last year, we'll be supporting it again this year. Our 2025 season will include several one-day gravel rides; Unbound, the biggest gravel race in the country; BRAN, a long-time classic ride across Nebraska; the USA Triathlon; the Rooster Tail Ride on the Wabash Trace; the Rolla road ride in Missouri; Bicycling Around Minnesota; the summer and fall versions of Big BAM on the Katy; and more!


We'll have everybody on our crew and every piece of equipment we own on RAGBRAI.


In addition, we'll present our own trail rides, including the Black Hills Hundred in late June and maybe one more! Stand by for a detailed update on our season early in 2025.


BELOW: Black Hills Hundred riders toward the end of their cruise down the gorgeous Mickelson Trail.

Pork Belly Ventures LLC 

Tammy: 808-375-8921 c, tammy@pkbelly.com

Pete: 402-681-2613 c, pete@pkbelly.com

 www.pkbelly.com