Pork Belly Update-The 2024 Route and PBV Shuttles

January 30, 2024

Dear Friends,

The Route Is Out!

Ta-Daaaa!

Oh, what a night! After our day at the Expo, we and our crew caught up with many good friends at the huge RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party, and most of us hammed it up for this group shot above. In this update, we're happy to be able to share with you...

The 2024 RAGBRAI Route and Daily Mileage!
Our NEW Yearround Crew Members!
The Details and Prices of All PBV RAGBRAI Shuttles!
Pork Availability as of Today!
Our Photos of Saturday, January 27th, in Des Moines!

Up and Down Across the South!

After a few years of central and northern routes, we are heading south for RAGBRAI 2024! According to Ride Director Matt Phippen, this is one of the shortest and hilliest RAGBRAI routes in history. See below! FOC means "feet of climb."

Saturday, Gather in Glenwood for the Expo and Festivies
Sunday, on to Red Oak, 43 miles/3000 FOC
Monday, on to Atlantic, 40 miles/1700 FOC
Tuesday, on to Winterset, 78 miles/4400 FOC
Wednesday, on to Knoxville, 74 miles/3000 FOC
Thursday, on to Ottumwa, 60 miles/2500 FOC
Friday, on to Mt. Pleasant, 82 miles/3000 FOC
Saturday, on to Burlington, 45 miles/1000 FOC

Some thoughts on this route...

We start off the week with two days of shorter mileage! Hilly, but short.
These are small communities, many 6000 or 7000 in population. There is just no welcome like a small-town welcome!
In the not-too-distant past, we've stayed in these overnight towns during RAGBRAI, and we're looking forward to renewing our acquaintances there!
This is our dream route for the final day of RAGBRAI, only 45 miles to Burlington, folks, so everybody can arrive in our staging area in time for a shower and a bite to eat before catching for his/her shuttle!
Thanks to our ride director and his amazing team for all the planning that has already gone into our next Iowa adventure!
Note to our E/W Shuttle Riders... we are already getting questions about long-term parking in Burlington. The Burlington volunteers are just getting started on their planning. If you're on our mailing list, we will alert you when you can sign up for long-term parking in the end town--possibly in April or early May.

Many Hands Make Light Work ????

Most of you know how much we depend on our crew. Some of them work almost all of our events in the summer. Some--like Dave and George--work with us all year long. Many of our younger crew members only work RAGBRAI, with great cheer and patience!

For some time, we've needed to spread out our yearround work to more capable pairs of hands. Here are three people who have stepped up to share the load. Meet our NEW YEARROUND CREW MEMBERS!

Becca Castle-Laughlin grew up in a family of volunteers, and she has become a leader in Southwest Iowa, having chaired the Southwest Iowa Nature Trails Board of Directors and worked for local non-profit as an event coordinator and grant-writer. We have known her family for decades, and it is with great pleasure that we welcome her to PBV for the first time.

BELOW: Becca and her family at the

RAGBRAI Route Annoncement Party

Bart Dvorak, from Iowa City, joined us today! Bart's education is in marketing, but he also has construction, customer service, and problem-solving skills. He's a valued member of our night-run team on RAGBRAI, and he has grown his role over his 15 years with Pork Belly Ventures. Bart, pictured below on the right, will join us just in time for our big construction project of 2024.

Wes Helms, pictured below on the left, moved to Council Bluffs from Iowa City and, since January 1, reports to Pork HQ every day. His background is strong in customer service and management! As a member of our night-run crew on RAGBRAI for 12 years, Wes has grown into a leader and a problem-solver. He impressed us from Day One, pitching in everywhere and always being alert to the needs of our riders and his fellow crew members.

With these fine young people joining us, with our entire happy, hard-working crew and our dependable chiefs, the future looks very bright indeed!

Choice of Departure, E/W Shuttle Only

When you sign up for our E/W Shuttle from the end town to the start town, you'll find a new drop-down menu that allows you to select your departure day and time.

Some 34 riders selected the shuttle before we activated the drop-down menu. If you did not select your departure time, please login again and make your selection, especially if the departure day or time is important to you.

And now, our main topic...

PBV RAGBRAI SHUTTLES:

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW.

Pork Belly Ventures RAGBRAI shuttles are described here, with details and departure times. All shuttle prices include your seat on a comfortable, air-conditioned motor coach, and transport of your baggage and a bicycle.

Remember, please...

If you login to add shuttles (or any service)

to your existing application,

be sure to MAKE A PAYMENT so that

all services are secured

with a 10% deposit.

SYNCH UP AIR AND GROUND TRAVEL!

Some of you are ready to buy airline tickets. Please bear in mind our shuttle departure times as you make your airline reservations. Problems arise from arriving too late or departing too early for your ground transportation. Read carefully, please, and connect your travel dots!

BIKE TYPES AND EXTRA BIKES ON SHUTTLES:

We plan for one bike per person on our shuttles (included in the shuttle price), and the shuttle price is the same, whether or not you want us to transport the bike (some folks will ship a bike to Iowa or rent a bike in Iowa). There is no extra charge to transport a tandem, recumbent, trike, or virtually any type of bike. Just one per person, though. Obviously, if you have a bike that is way out of the norm in terms of size or shape, you should contact us.

Pork Belly Ventures will collect your bike type and other information later in the season.

Our crew will expect one bike per person. If you are using one PBV shuttle and sending your bike with a friend on a different PBV shuttle, we must know about it in advance. If you are not using one of our shuttles, and your friend is bringing your bike with him/her on a shuttle instead, then we must know about it in advance, and we charge $75 per extra bike. Please write to Kay@pkbelly.com if you will have extra bikes on the E/W Shuttle from end town to start town prior to RAGBRAI. Give her the type of bike and name of the owner of the extra bike.

Three PBV Shuttles Prior to RAGBRAI

We offer three shuttles to the start town before RAGBRAI:

from our side-by-side Omaha airport hotels,
from the end town on the east side of Iowa
from a Des Moines airport hotel parking lot

First,

Omaha Airport to Glenwood,

the start town

$49 per person
About 25 minutes on the coach
Staggered departures throughout Saturday, 7/20, approximately 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

This is our most popular airport shuttle, on the west side of the state, the nearest major (international) airport to the start of RAGBRAI virtually every year. On Saturday, July 20, our motor coaches will depart at intervals throughout the day, beginning at about 8:00 am, with the last coach departing for Glenwood at 4:00 pm. All coaches will depart from the north parking lot of the Candlewood Suites hotel at the Omaha airport.

Summary: Omaha is a great jumping-off point for people who fly to Iowa or drive in from points west, south, or northwest. We return to Omaha after RAGBRAI (see Return to Omaha below). The Omaha International Airport is served by most domestic carriers. There's more information about this shuttle in our 2024 invitation letter (link below), including descriptions of our side-by-side airport hotels.

OMAHA SIDE-BY-SIDE AIRPORT HOTELS: We have blocks of rooms at both hotels before and after RAGBRAI (Friday, July 19, and Saturday, July 27). Call the local numbers below, and mention Pork Belly Ventures to access our room blocks. Inexpensive long-term parking in the hotel parking lots is available to those who ARRANGE this option with the hotel. There is also nearby airport parking for $5 or $6 per day.

Candlewood Suites Hotel: 402-342-2500

Best Western Plus Hotel: 402-505-4900

Our price is around $140 per room. Some room types may be a few dollars more. We always promote courtesy in general. Do be nice when you call the local numbers of the hotels.

Word to the wise... Arrive in Omaha early. Saturday in Glenwood is your orientation day, a great part of the RAGBRAI experience. You don't want to arrive in the late afternoon, check in, do your chores, and miss the huge Bike Expo and start-town festivities. Many veterans have learned this lesson and will arrive in Omaha on Friday afternoon or evening.

WARNING: Are you familiar with air travel issues, friends? With increasing frequency, airlines can delay or cancel flights and lose luggage. Every year, five or six Pork Belly Ventures riders will be affected by these issues. By flying into Omaha on Friday, you can avoid a very rough beginning of your vacation.

For Saturday arrivers (if you cannot arrive on Friday), the earlier you plan to fly into Omaha, the more likely you'll be able to pivot to Plan B if you have to deal with a delayed flight or lost luggage. When you plan to arrive at 3:00 p.m. for our last coach at 4:00 p.m., a delayed flight severely limits your Plan B options and may very well eliminate our ability to help.

Second,

Our East/West Shuttle,

end town to start town,

Burlington to Glenwood

$188 per person
Approximately 4.5 hours across Iowa from the end town to the start town
Usually two departure times on Friday afternoon, 7/19--at 1:00 and 3:00 PM
Three morning departure times on Saturday morning, 7/20--at 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 AM
NEW--when you sign up for this shuttle, see the drop down menu that allows you to select your departure now.
No airport shuttle here. This one tends to be used by those who drive to the end town and park a vehicle there.

If you plan to use our East/West Shuttle, give some thought to whether you'd like to travel across the state on Friday afternoon (extra night of camping in Glenwood) or on Saturday morning (only one night of camping in Glenwood). Those who shuttle on Friday will get settled in our Glenwood campsite on Friday night, will check in for Weeklong Support on Friday night, and will have more time to spend at the huge RAGBRAI Bike Expo on Saturday.

We do not yet know the location or price of long-term parking in Burlington, but we will let you know all the details as soon as we can.

Summary: The East/West Shuttle is a great option for those who drive to Iowa from points east (or from the south or north) and who want to park their vehicles at the end of the ride. Our shuttle carries you to the ride start, and you'll spend your week pedaling back to your car.

Third,

Des Moines Airport Hotel to Glenwood,

the start town

$159 per person
About 2.2 hours on the coach
Saturday morning, 7/20, 8:00 bike loading, 9:15 departure

On Saturday morning, 7/20, our coach and bike truck will stage at 8:00 a.m. in the parking lot of the Des Moines Airport AmericInn Hotel, just off Fleur Drive. We will load bikes and baggage, board the coach, and depart at about 9:15. We are likely to have two or three coaches this year.

Summary: Des Moines' international airport on the southern edge of Des Moines is served by many domestic carriers, and it's a good jumping-off point for many Iowans and for those who find it convenient to fly or drive into Des Moines. It could be great for those who drive up from the Kansas City area. Des Moines is not near the beginning or the end of RAGBRAI. It's toward the center of the state. The Des Moines shuttles are generally longer and more expensive than other shuttles. Remember that of the airports we serve, Omaha is closest to the start and Quad Cities is closest to the end.

DES MOINES AIRPORT HOTEL: We have blocks of rooms reserved before and after RAGBRAI at the Des Moines AmericInn Hotel, at the airport, just off of Fleur Drive. To get a room in our block, call (515) 285-5180 and mention Pork Belly Ventures for a reservation. The hotel may allow you to leave a vehicle in their lot for the week (subject to availability), and you DO need to spend at least one night at the hotel for this parking option. If you don’t plan a stay at the hotel, there’s an airport parking facility just down Fleur Drive.

Three PBV Shuttles After RAGBRAI

We will offer three shuttles from the end town after RAGBRAI, all on the afternoon of Saturday, July 27:

to the Quad Cities International Airport (Moline, IL) on the east side of Iowa
to our side-by-side Omaha airport hotels,
to our Des Moines airport hotel parking lot

NOTE: Pork Belly Ventures does not make stops along the way to drop off riders going to different destinations. We also do not return to long-term parking in the start town.

First,

End town to nearest International Airport, Quad Cities International Airport in Moline, Illinois (MLI)

$79 per person
An hour and 20 minutes on the coach, barring traffic congestion, which can happen in a RAGBRAI end-town.
Only 45 miles to cycle on the last day of RAGBRAI (subject to change)
Departures from Pork Belly staging area at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., with one departure in between, Saturday, 7/27.

***Please heed our warnings about padding your schedule when booking flights out of Iowa. Pay attention to the duration of your shuttle. We cannot make the coaches go faster in congested traffic.

The cycling route on the final day of RAGBRAI is only 45 miles (subject to change). On Saturday, July 27, our coaches will depart at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m., with a third coach to depart between the two. (We can't announce the time of this in-between departure. It will depart when we have a sufficient number of passengers on board, so that we know the last coach can accommodate the rest.)

***When booking your airline reservation, be sure to pad your schedule, as traffic is unpredictable on the last day of RAGBRAI. Our shuttle will carry you directly from our mustering area in Burlington to the Departures area of the Quad Cities International Airport. From there, you may go to car rentals, you may catch a free shuttle to any number of airport hotels, or you may go directly to the gates to catch your flight.

We don't have relationships with any particular hotels on the east side of Iowa. But you will have no trouble reserving a room in advance near this airport. Simply google hotels near MLI.

Summary: A round trip into and out of one airport used to be the most economical way to fly. Now it is not necessarily cost prohibitive to fly into one airport and out of another. Some folks who fly into Omaha on the west prefer to fly out of the Quad Cities, the closest international airport to the end town and served by PBV on the east side of Iowa.

[Note: we don't shuttle from the Quad Cities airport before RAGBRAI.]

Second,

From end town returning to Omaha International Airport Hotels

$185 per person
Approximately 4.5 hours, barring traffic congestion, which would not be unusual in a RAGBRAI end town.
45 miles to cycle on the last day of RAGBRAI (subject to change)
Several departures between 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, 7/27

The cycling route on the final day of RAGBRAI is 45 miles (subject to change). Our shuttle will carry you directly from our mustering area in Burlington to our side-by-side Omaha airport hotels.

On Saturday, July 27, our first coach will depart at 12:30 or when all seats are filled. After that, we will release coaches as they fill, with the last coach departing at 2:30 p.m. All coaches will return to the Candlewood Suites hotel at the Omaha airport, next door to the Best Western Plus. On Sunday morning, a free shuttle can carry you to the airport to catch your flight home.

Third,

From end town returning to Des Moines International Airport Hotel

$160 per person
Approximately 2.5 hours on the coach, barring traffic congestion, which can happen in a RAGBRAI end-town.
66 miles to cycle on the last day of RAGBRAI (subject to change)
Three or more coaches departing pretty close to 2:30 p.m., Saturday, 7/27.

The cycling route on the final day of RAGBRAI is 45 miles (subject to change). On Saturday, July 27, these coaches will depart one-after-another at about 2:30 p.m. and return our passengers to the AmericInn Hotel, just off of Fleur Drive. Subject to availability, the hotel may be able to offer you weeklong parking in the hotel lot--check with them. A free shuttle can take you to the airport on Sunday morning.

Hotel Stays: We have blocks of rooms reserved before and after RAGBRAI at the Des Moines AmericInn Hotel, just off of Fleur Drive. To take advantage of our block, call 515-285-5180 and mention Pork Belly Ventures for a reservation.

Midweek Shuttle Options

with Departure Times

Some folks can't go Whole Hog this year, and here are your options for going Half Hog, what we call a Partial-Week Rider. You can ride the first several days or last several days of RAGBRAI -- with Pork Belly Ventures or some other way.

You can ride the first three days and jump out on Tuesday afternoon at Winterset, or you can jump in on Tuesday at Winterset and ride the last four days.

Also, at the end of Day 4 in Knoxville, you can exit RAGBRAI in the late afternoon, after riding Sunday to Wednesday.

Des Moines Airport Hotel: On Tuesday afternoon/evening, 7/23, Pork Belly Ventures has a block of rooms reserved at the Des Moines Airport AmericInn Hotel, just off of Fleur Drive. To take advantage of our block, call (515) 285-5180 and mention Pork Belly Ventures for a reservation.

Tuesday Exit Shuttle,

Winterset to Des Moines Airport Hotel

(for those riding Sunday to Tuesday)

Tuesday, 7/23: 78 cycling miles

Exit Shuttle departs Winterset campsite at 5:30 p.m.

$111 per person, including bike transport

You may choose among our shuttles to the start town, but if you're parking a car, you should park in Des Moines at or near our designated airport hotel and use our shuttle to the start ($159). Our partial-week support is $90 per day, and three days is $270. To depart from our Tuesday overnight town of Winterset on 7/23, you may take our Tuesday exit shuttle at about 5:30 p.m., arriving at our designated Des Moines airport hotel at about 6:15 p.m. The exit shuttle is $111 per person, bike and baggage included.

Hotel and long-term parking info above, with our Des Moines Shuttle information.

Wednesday Exit Shuttle

from Winterset to Des Moines Airport Hotel

(for those riding Sunday to Wednesday)

Wednesday, 7/24: 74 cycling miles

Exit Shuttle departs Des Moines campsite at 5:30 p.m.

$112 per person, including bike transport

You may choose among our shuttles to the start town, but if you're parking a car, you should park in Des Moines at or near our designated airport hotel and use our shuttle to the start ($159). Our partial-week support is $90 per day, and four days is $360. To depart from our Wednesday overnight town of Winterset on 7/24, you may take our Wednesday exit shuttle at about 5:30 p.m., arriving at our designated Des Moines airport hotel at about 6:15 p.m. The exit shuttle is $112 per person, bike and baggage included.

Hotel and long-term parking info above, with our Des Moines Shuttle information. (We do not have a block on Wednesday.)

Tuesday Enter Shuttle

Des Moines Airport Hotel to Winterset Campsite

(for those riding Wednesday through Saturday)

Tuesday, 7/23

Enter Shuttle departs Des Moines airport hotel at 4:00 p.m.

$110 per person, including bike transport

To enter RAGBRAI on Tuesday afternoon, 7/23, you can take our shuttle from our designated Des Moines airport hotel to the overnight town of Winterset, departing the hotel parking lot at about 4:00 p.m. and arriving in camp at about 4:45 p.m. This Midweek Enter shuttle is $110, including the transport of bike and baggage. Our partial-week support is $90 per day, and four days is $360. You may choose among our shuttles at week’s end, but if you parked a vehicle in Des Moines, you would use our shuttle from Davenport to the AmericInn Hotel at the Des Moines airport ($160).

On Tuesday, July 23, around 3:15, our coach will be available to board in the parking lot of our designated Des Moines airport hotel, AmericInn. From there, we will depart for our Tuesday night campsite in Winterset, where Partial-Week Riders may check in right away at our front desk (or set off to find your charter). You may spend four days with us, pedaling into Burlington on Saturday, the 27th. From here, you can use our Burlington/Des Moines Shuttle to return you to the Des Moines airport hotel by early evening. (In fact, you can use any of our post-RAGBRAI shuttles--to Quad Cities, Omaha, or Des Moines.)

Partial-Week Options:

Shuttles for PBV Riders or any RAGBRAI Rider

PBV Partial-Week Support is $90 per day, and it can only be used for consecutive days. We can't have people jumping in and out during the week.

Whether or not you are with PBV during the week, you can use the midweek transportation options described above. Select the Tuesday Exit Shuttle, the Wednesday Exit Shuttle, or Tuesday Enter Shuttle on your PBV online application.

If any RAGBRAI rider needs to exit RAGBRAI midweek, you can come to the PBV campsite on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon (before the 5:30 shuttle departure time) and sign up for the shuttle to a Des Moines airport hotel parking lot. From there, you can check in for the night, arrange to fly, or rent a car.

Des Moines Hotel and Parking

for Partial-Week Riders

On Tuesday, July 23, we have reserved a block of rooms at the Des Moines airport AmericInn Hotel just off of Fleur Drive. To take advantage of our block, call 515-285-5180 and mention Pork Belly Ventures for a reservation. It may be possible to use an inexpensive parking option at the hotel, Park and Fly, depending on availability. Other inexpensive airport parking is available nearby. The hotel offers a free shuttle to the Des Moines airport just down the road.

That's all on our shuttles.

Any RAGBRAI rider can login and reserve a PBV Shuttle

with a 10% deposit.

If you login to add shuttles (or any service)

to your existing application,

be sure to MAKE A PAYMENT so that

all services are secured

with a 10% deposit.

The RAGBRAI Newbies FB Page

For veterans and newbies alike, the RAGBRAI Newbies FB group is a positive and friendly place to ask questions, offer support, and find a community that loves RAGBRAI. Kudos to Anna Abrams (at center in this photo) for founding this page/group, which now has more that 8000 upbeat and helpful members!

ABOVE: Daphne, Anna, and Maria at the Expo, all part of the Newbies community.

Don't Ride Without

the Pork Belly FREE Mobile App

You need the most recent version of our app to get our most recent content! Needless to say, you can find our FREE Pork Belly Mobile App at your App Store.

ABOVE: See how easy Katy has made it to get the latest app version? Apple and Android users, tap these tabs and stand by for Pork New As It Happens!

GET YOUR APP IN GEAR!

The Effect of the Route Announcement

We did see a flurry of activity after the route was announced. Here's where we stand now...

We have sixteen rental tents remaining.
We still have capacity on our Weeklong Support, and we'll be letting you know when space gets tight.
As we've said earlier, we will cap our numbers this year at about 200 fewer than last year.
Our shuttles are wide open.

First-Timers,

We Have Something In Common!

On a personal note, my first RAGBRAI in 1984 had about half of the overnight towns in common with this 2024 route. Whoa, it was hilly, and I pedaled a too-big Raleigh bicycle from Glenwood all the way to Burlington. My friends and I, all first-timers, were new to day-after-day cycling. We walked the big hills, set up our own tents, and then wandered the overnight town in search of everything we needed. There was no such thing as portable showers back then, so each day, we walked or shuttled to a school where the water was cold enough to make you shriek, and privacy was a pipe dream. In those high school locker rooms, you just lined up in your birthday suits, sometimes ankle deep, waiting for a shower head to open up. That was RAGBRAI 1984.

ABOVE: Taken in 1984 on the last Saturday morning

in Mt. Pleasant, after a big overnight rain storm.

These were my (Tammy's) compatriots on my first RAGBRAI!

Pardon the blurry old photo from a scrapbook!

Today, bicycles are lighter and infinitely better. The camping technology and gear are amazing, the towns are better prepared for us, portable showers are placed near campsites, and charters offer so much more to make riders happy and relatively comfortable. So while we have a few overnight towns and a hilly first RAGBRAI in common, I consider you newbies very lucky to be riding your first RAGBRAI in 2024!

Thank you for tuning in! The planning begins, and we'll be on your screens again soon. Until then, we remain...

Your friends,

Tammy and Pete

P.S. Here's Our Scrapbook

from Saturday's Expo and Saturday Night's

RAGBRAI Route Announcement Partay!

ABOVE: Due to the ice on the interstate, we slowed way down on our way to Des Moines Saturday morning, but we were set up plenty early!

RIGHT: Elbow to elbow, once those doors opened!

BELOW: Wes, on the left, is one of our new yearround guys, and he jumped right in and talked with folks all day. Wes has been downright invaluable on our RAGBRAI crew for us for a dozen years.

RIGHT: After hanging with our crew for a while, our dear friend Janet from Team Gourmet stopped by!

RIGHT: Bart and Pete, chatting during a slow time late in the day.

BELOW: Dave, at our booth. He brought the canopy, the chairs, the display, the flyers, the shirts, and all the stuff. He organized everything. Thanks, Dave!