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Get out your calendars, everybody. You're going to need them. Here in Iowa, it's warming up. Summer's coming, and it's high time to choose one or more summer bike tours!
Our Season at a Glance is a menu of rides supported by PBV in 2024! Below, you'll find a concise update packed with bicycle adventures happening across the Midwest and beyond, short miles and long miles, steeper and flatter, something for everybody, all supported in one way or another by Pork Belly Ventures. When you come across those you like, the links will take you to more information and a place to register for PBV support.
RIGHT: It's not even cycling season yet, and our faithful guys are busier than a bear at a beehive! We'll include a few more photos at the end of this update, showing our new build.
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In between scouting trips for RAGBRAI, Ride the Rockies, and BRAN, our crew is building all day long out at the barn. The result will be a new PHAT Trailer, which will expand our capacity, especially in early June, when our fleet is pulled in many directions.
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Please enjoy browsing
Our 2024 Ride Calendar,
in chronological order below!
Here goes!
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May 18,
Lazy Horse Gravel Grind
The start/end town: Ohiowa, Nebraska
Description: This delightful one-day gravel ride is sold out (except for spots for four tandems) but you may want to read up on it for next year!
PBV Services: A hot shower and towel for every rider.
For more info:
Lazy Horse Gravel Grind
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May 30 - June 2,
Garmin Unbound
Gravel Race
The start/end town: Emporia, Kansas
Description: This is the biggest gravel race in the world. There's a lottery for this one, friends, so only 4,000 lucky cyclists get the privilege of riding or racing the Flint Hills of Kansas.
PBV Services: We will be located on the fairgrounds with our shower trailer, phone-charging, and morning coffee--plus our rental tents and PHAT Rooms. We offer a "comfort package" for those in our rooms and tents, and also for other riders staying in the fairgrounds.
SPECIAL NOTE: Our PHAT Rooms sold out as soon as the Unbound lottery results were announced. We are keeping a waiting list for that service. Tent rentals do not usually sell out.
For more info:
https://www.unboundgravel.com/
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June 2-8,
BRAN,
Bike Ride
Across
Nebraska
The start/end towns: Valentine and Louisville, Nebraska
Description: Now in its 42nd year, this classic weeklong cross-state bicycle tour is presented annually by the dedicated volunteers of the Omaha Pedalers Bicycle Club. BRAN features small-town hospitality and the scenic beauty of the prairie! This year, there's a two-night stay in Burwell, allowing riders to choose between riding an optional loop OR tubing on the river!
PBV Services: Dave Kennedy runs our operation on BRAN, and nobody cares more about excellent service than Dave. We'll have a shower trailer (including towels), along with a shade canopy and chairs, morning coffee, and phone-charging. Our crew has been engaged by BRAN to move your baggage each day, too, so you'll be seeing their happy faces every morning! As ever, we offer rental tents and PHAT Rooms on BRAN!
SPECIAL NOTE: We have already sold out the PHAT rooms for BRAN--and Dave is maintaining a waiting list. Rental tents are available.
For more info:
https://www.bran-inc.org/
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June 2-8,
Big BAM
on the Katy
The Start/End Towns: Clinton (west side of Missouri) to St. Charles (near St. Louis)
Description: This 6-day ride follows the lush Katy Trail west to east across the state of Missouri, through tunnels and past impressive outcroppings, stopping in friendly towns whose citizens and businesses are fond of meeting visitors from all over the US! The campsites are lovely! Ride director Todd White knows this trail like the back of his hand, and customer service is his specialty. Daily mileage is 35 to 50 miles.
Rent a Bike: Todd can offer a variety of rental bikes and e-bikes for this ride!
SPECIAL NOTE: When you sign up for Big BAM on the Katy, you can join the Pork Belly Ventures team and save $35 on your ride registration!
PBV Services: Our crew has been on this ride for many years, working closely with founders, Greg and Danita Wood, and with Todd. We will operate a shower trailer (with towels), charge phones and devices, brew morning coffee, erect shade canopies in camp, and staff a front desk. We can charge e-bikes, too. Our PHAT Rooms and rental tents are available on this one!
For more info:
https://www.bigbamride.com/
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June 9-15,
Ride the Rockies
The Route: Here are the Colorado overnight towns of RTR: Steamboat Springs, Craig, Meeker, Rangely (2 nights), and Fruita! The link below will explain how this RTR is going to Wow you!
Description: RTR will have you pedaling over mountain streams, along glittering lakes, up and into breathtaking mountain passes. Over 409 total miles, you'll climb approximately 23,000 feet. Two national monuments and two gravel sections. You can bring your tent or avail yourself of a tent service.
NOTE: Sabra, the ride director, is extremely well-organized, and is determined to present riders with the best RTR ever!
PBV Services: PBV has been engaged to provide showers and phone-charging on this ride, so you'll enjoy the company of our small crew in the mountains!
For more info:
https://ridetherockies.com/
(If you click the link above,
don't miss the awesome video about RTR!)
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June 22,
The
Solstice
Gravel Grinder
The start/end town: Beatrice, Nebraska
Description: This delightful one-day gravel ride offers a 100-mile course and shorter courses.
PBV Services: A hot shower and towel for every rider.
For more info:
Solstice Gravel Grinder
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June 23-27,
The
Black Hills Hundred
Presented by
Pork Belly Ventures
The start/end towns:
Deadwood and Edgemont, South Dakota
The Route: Your route is the downhill-trending Mickelson Trail, which we will follow from the northern end at Deadwood to the southern end at Edgemont. You can park in Edgemont and shuttle to the start; see our shuttle mentioned below.
Description: The George S. Mickelson Trail was named for the late South Dakota Governor who championed it! He foretold that it would become one of the most visited places in South Dakota, and he was right. With its high-trestle bridges and ponderosa-pine forests, it will provide you with some of the most scenic cycling you've ever done. Our overnight stops are historic Deadwood, a little resort called Carsten Cottages out in the hills, Hill City, Custer, and finally, Edgemont. Key features of this ride include a train excursion into the hills with lunch on board and history narration; a motorcoach tour of the sites of SD, namely Crazy Horse, Custer State Park, and of course, Mt. Rushmore; and great meal options in camp, catered by our host resort, or in the nearby entertainment districts of our host towns! Your daily mileage ranges from only 15 miles to 44 downhill miles on the last day.
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PBV Services: We'll have everything you've come to expect from PBV, including an informative check-in process, a parking option, your hot private shower each day, phone charging, morning coffee, bike mechanics, massage therapy, rental tents and PHAT Rooms available, optional and delicious breakfasts in camp, and more included meals than any other PBV tour. This ride features excursions to see the Great Faces and Great Places of South Dakota.
Midday on June 23, PBV will run a shuttle (including transport of bikes and bags) from free long-term parking in Edgemont to the start of the ride in Deadwood.
For more info:
BlackHillsHundredInvitation!
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July 21-27,
RAGBRAI!
The start/end towns are Glenwood and Burlington, a classic southern route.
Description: This is the biggest and oldest of the state rides in the country. It's where PBV began, lo, those 31 years ago, and we are glad we're still standing for the 51st RAGBRAI!!
PBV Services: We bring everything we have to this one, and we leave it all on the field. Given the surprise of our quick sell-outs in 2022 and 2023, we are thrilled that we have space available in April on our Weeklong and Partial-Week Support. The tent service now has a waiting list of about 60.
PBV provides morning coffee, a breakfast vendor, your daily hot and private shower with a towel, all-day food vending, yoga in the late afternoon, bike mechanics and massage therapists, plus a full-service bike shop in camp. We have catered evening meals and live entertainment on stage, phone-charging trailers and other custom-built equipment for our riders! We can refrigerate medication and help those who use a CPAP machine, and we can charge e-bike batteries. We operate lots of shuttles before, after, and during RAGBRAI.
(PHAT Rooms are sold out.)
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Our RAGBRAI invitation letter (click the link above) was published in December. Read it for a description of our services, please, and disregard any mention of a lottery for our services. We still have space on our Weeklong Support and all shuttles. The rental tent service is sold out with a waiting list. PHAT Rooms are also sold out, and the wait list goes back to 2018.
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August 17-20,
Bicycling Around Minnesota
The Route: This time, Bicycling Around Minnesota is headed for the Iron Range! The route starts and ends in Hoyt Lakes, with additional overnights in Chisholm, Grand Rapids and Hibbing.
Description: The Bicycling Around Minnesota ride directors are kindred spirits in that they are proud of the beauty of their home state and they care deeply about the quality of the experience they provide. This ride entails 55-70 miles each day on paved low-traffic roads and trails. Expect lovely campsites on this fully supported tour with meals, downloadable route maps (RWGPS), rider support along the route, mechanical support and luggage transport.
PBV Services: Our happy crew will operate one large shower trailer (with towels), brew morning coffee, and set up shade canopies and phone-charging. We'll do e-bike charging, too! BAM has engaged our crew to provide other aspects of the ride, as well, so we'll be working in tandem with BAM volunteers. PBV rental tents are available, and once again, PHAT Rooms on BAM!
For more info:
https://bambiketour.org/
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August 25-28,
A Road Ride in Rolla, Missouri
Description: Todd White of Big BAM in Missouri is creating a new clover-leaf, 3-day ride, in Rolla, Missouri. After daily loops of 55 miles or so, riders return to camp in Rolla, a community that welcomes visitors in a big way! They're planning a big downtown party in conjunction with this ride! (It's early days, and this new ride doesn't even have a name yet. Tune into the FB page, link below, for news as the plan is announced.)
Kudos to Todd for expanding his menu of rides to other parts of Missouri. He is also the director of Big BAM on the Katy in both June and October! His team is with us for RAGBRAI, too.
PBV Services: Our crew will operate a shower trailer (with towels), brew morning coffee, and set up shade canopies and phone-charging. We can offer e-bike charging! Importantly, riders will be able to book our rental tents and PHAT Rooms for this new tour!
For more information...
The Rolla Road Ride, Big BAM
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September 9,
Pony Express Gravel Dash
Description: Starting and ending in Maryville, Kansas, this one-day event showcases the challenging terrain and rich Pony Express history of northeast Kansas.
PBV Services: We will be there with a nice hot shower and towels for all riders!
For more information, search Pony Express Gravel Grind on Facebook!
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October 9-14,
Big BAM
on the Katy
The Start/End Towns: Clinton (west side of Missouri) to St. Charles (near St. Louis)
Description: This 6-day ride follows the lush Katy Trail west to east across the state of Missouri, through tunnels and past impressive outcroppings, stopping in friendly towns whose citizens and businesses are fond of meeting visitors from all over the US! The campsites are lovely! Ride director Todd White knows this trail like the back of his hand, and customer service is his specialty.
Rent a Bike: Todd can offer a variety of rental bikes and e-bikes for this ride! Stay tuned for more about his big discount!
SPECIAL NOTE: When you sign up for Big BAM on the Katy, you can join the Pork Belly Ventures team and save $35 on your ride registration!
PBV Services: Our Crew has been on this ride for many years, working closely with founders, Greg and Danita Wood, and with Todd. We will operate a shower trailer (with towels), charge phones, devices, and e-bike batteries. We brew morning coffee, erect shade canopies in camp, and staff a front desk. Our PHAT Rooms and rental tents are available on this one!
For more info:
https://www.bigbamride.com/
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DEFINITIONS:
For those who have not traveled with PBV, allow us to describe a few of the services we provide on bicycle tours!
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The PBV Rental Tent Service
You can take a LOT of labor out of your bicycle tour by reserving our tent service. The manufacturer bills our 63'-sf tent as a 4-man--but for the purposes of a bike tour, it's roomy for one person and cozy for two with your baggage inside. Our crew does all the labor of setting up and taking down your tent each day and moving your bags to and from the tent throughout the tour. The tent includes your ground cloth and rain fly, too.
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ABOVE: Here is a queen-style PHAT Room.
See below for your virtual tour of a twin-style room.
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PHAT Rooms--Cabins on Wheels!
A PHAT Room is your ticket to a good night's sleep every night of your ride. Our friends in Minnesota call them "cabins on wheels," and there are five "cabins" on a semi-trailer, each featuring laminate flooring and knotty-pine interiors. Your mattresses, linens, pillows, and blankets are included, so you won't need to bring any camping gear. Find switched lights at the head of each bed, with outlets for phone-charging. The rooms are air-conditioned so that regardless of heat or humidity, you'll be rested up for the next day's adventure. And those in PHAT Rooms may be the only riders who don't have to pack up their belongings each morning! For a virtual tour of a PHAT Room, click right here:
https://PHATROOMVirtualTour
We recommend 2-3 occupants so that you have more elbow room and space to stow your belongings. But it is possible to sleep five in a room.
PHAT Rooms are available on Black Hills Hundred and many of the smaller rides listed above. They are not available on RAGBRAI--unfortunately, we have a very long waiting list.
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PBV Showers
The experience with PBV may exceed your expectations for portable showers! You'll have a private dressing area adjacent to your stall, with hooks for hanging your clothing and toiletries. We heat water on demand, so we don't run out, even during busier times of the day. Your towel is normally included (depending on the ride director's decision), and there's a body-wash dispenser in each stall. Most of our trailers are air-conditioned. The smallest trailer is well-ventilated with fans in the ceiling to move heat and humidity out of the trailer.
Importantly, and unlike many portable shower services, PBV shower stalls are cleaned after every use.
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What's Next from PBV?
We will be on your screens again soon with a new RAGBRAI update! Sometime in April, we'll offer you hotel stays, massage appointments, and all you need to know about bike-shipping to and from Iowa! (We don't yet have complete info about bike-shipping, but we'll let you know when we do!)
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We Hope To See You This Season!
With every new ride, you'll make friends who share your passion for cycling and new adventures. We hope you've found one or two or even MORE 2024 events that suit your fancy and your calendar. We would love to spend part of your cycling season with you!
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For your questions about the rides themselves, feel free to use the links above to view the event websites and/or reach out to the ride directors. For any questions about PBV Services or our own ride (the Black Hills Hundred), we'll do our best to help! Please find our contact info below.
Take care, everyone. Come on, Summer! Until next time we remain,
Your friends,
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Our New PHAT Trailer Build, continued...
Just a few more photos of our guys at work, here in Southwest Iowa. We had a fleet of six PHAT Trailers: "High on the Hog," "Pork Place," "Pigs in a Blanket," "Swine Suites," "Wallow Inn," and "The Hamlet." To these, we will soon be adding a seventh 5-room trailer, "The Curly Tail."
ABOVE RIGHT: Bob is guiding this process, along with Dave.
We owe them both a huge debt of gratitude.
BELOW: Wes (left) and Bart (right) are working hard,
but they always make it fun, too.
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ABOVE: Bart is cutting a doorway in this trailer, a hard job.
BELOW: Here, Wes is putting ladders together for access to the upper bunks in these twin-style rooms.
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Pork Belly Ventures LLC
Tammy: 808-375-8921 c, tammy@pkbelly.com
Pete: 402-681-2613 c, pete@pkbelly.com
www.pkbelly.com
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