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In hopes of being helpful, we are sending this Appendix to Monday's Update. Maybe we should have covered these topics. In some cases, we're repeating ourselves here, but some info was probably easy to miss!
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While We Have You:
Pork Availability
Tent Service: this service is always the first to sell out, but hey, it didn't sell out in January! We still have about 40 tents available before we would need to start a waiting list.
Weeklong Support: We are NOT tight on space at this point. We can still say YES!
All Shuttles: Wide Open.
All E/W Shuttle Departures: Wide Open.
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And Now,
Some Frequently Asked Questions
from This Week!
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Regarding Friday Night in Orange City and More
The only PBV shuttle that runs on Friday, July 18th, is our E/W Shuttle from Guttenberg to Orange City.
Those who choose a Friday departure on the E/W Shuttle or who find their own way to Orange City will spend an extra night there. We won't have all of our amenities up and running on Friday, but we'll be ready for you. It's great to check in for support early and devote your Saturday to enjoying the Bike Expo and start-town festivities.
If you're using our tent service, you will have an opportunity to select an extra night in your rental tent for $50. (No need to find a hotel or wonder where you can sleep, friends!). If you are using your own tent, you'll spend Friday night with us at no additional charge.
Saturday night in Orange City is part of our week. The vast majority will camp with us on Saturday night.
Everyone begins cycling on Sunday morning.
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Shuttles PBV Does Not Offer
PBV does not return to the start town after RAGBRAI. We do shuttle you back to Omaha, though.
On the west side of Iowa, we operate shuttles from and to the Omaha airport (convenient for those who may drive in on I-29 or I-80 and for those who fly into the Omaha International Airport).
I believe we mentioned that we and our crew are spread pretty thin, offering three shuttles before, three shuttles during, and three shuttles after RAGBRAI. For various reasons, we will not serve these airports: Sioux City, Sioux Falls (SD), Cedar Rapids, Dubuque.
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Bike Transport
We include bike transport with all of our shuttles--we assume one bike per person.
Bike Shipping
If you are flying to Iowa and hope to ship your bike ahead of time, just hang tight for a little while. We partner with Bike Flights. Their normal timeline for opening their webpage for RAGBRAI bike shipping is late March or early April, and we will keep you posted on this.
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The Size of Guttenberg
In recent years, larger metro areas have been selected for the end town, and riders could mentally plan out their entry--drive in Friday, stay in a nearby hotel, etc. Guttenberg is home to 1808 people and has no hotels, so the plan might be different this year in various ways.
But trust that RAGBRAI and Guttenberg have already begun to make a plan. Hang on a little until we have a chance to meet the Guttenberg team and take a look at the community. It's been a while since RAGBRAI ended there. (They did a beautiful job last time, by the way!)
Pork Belly Ventures will be working to establish where our staging area will be, and where bikes can be loaded and coaches will be boarding, and whether there is an indoor sleeping venue in town (a non-profit fundraiser, possibly!). They will allow camping in designated areas. We'll work on food options, too, and more! More about all of these things to come.
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Long-Term Parking in Guttenberg, the End Town
The city officials and volunteers in Guttenberg are just getting their tasks and their committees figured out. We will visit Guttenberg more than once over the next few months. We'll be keeping you informed as we learn more. The normal timeline for purchasing parking has been late April or around May 1. We don't like to guess, but parking has been around $80 to $100 in recent years. Sometimes, not always, a more expensive VIP parking area is made available too.
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Getting from the Omaha Airport
to Our Omaha Shuttle Operation
We work with a shuttle outfit at the Omaha airport, and although you can certainly tip your driver, the shuttle is free. We stress arriving on Friday, but on both Friday and Saturday, you will be able to use this shuttle from the airport to the hotel parking lot where we operate our Omaha/Orange City Shuttle. More about all these things to come.
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Our Omaha Shuttle Schedule
The time will come when we will ask those on this shuttle to record your Omaha arrival information. Then, we will create a schedule of Saturday departures between 8:00 and 4:00 (approximately) that works best for all. You will actually be assigned to a departure--so you don't have to wonder when you're climbing aboard. No worries about this, and more to come on this topic!
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The Timing of Info
from PBV
We send updates regularly--and we try to send them in a timely way. We keep an eye on the next part of your planning, alert you to what's coming soon, and remind you of deadlines, etc. And because there is so much information to communicate, we sort of dole it out over the course of the season.
That said, if you have a question, by all means, ask. We are happy to respond by email and/or visit with you!
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ABOVE: A favorite LOL shirt of 2024
Make It Easy.
We are catching the happy vibe out there! Through your emails and through your phone calls, we feel those waves of enthusiasm-voltage, and it's electrifying!
Allow us to interject a bit of advice--not to be a wet blanket but to enhance your experience in joining this iconic ride.
Train for it.
PBV is going to provide you with comforts, conveniences, and maybe even some belly laughs. We'll do our part.
RAGBRAI Ride Director Matt Phippen has handed us all a glorious route. He's done his part.
Be sure to do your part, too. Train early, train often, get those miles under your belts. Include some hills in your regimen. No matter the route, RAGBRAI is never exactly "easy," but you can raise your joy factor exponentially by training for it. And we will ALL Live Like Pigs in July!
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More about all of these things to come! Your questions are welcome! Until next time, we remain,
Your friends,
Tammy and Pete
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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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