Pork Belly Update-Mid January

Our RAGBRAI Invitation Letter went out late on New Year's Eve, and registration for services opened up on New Year's morning. Each year is different, so we never know if/when we will sell out, but we want to keep you informed of our status - in case you're planning on it but happen to be a Pork-crastinator and need that nudge....or are waiting to finalize plans and want a little reassurance that you may have more time.

• Weeklong Service: We are a little less than 50% sold out. We anticipate a jump after the Route is announced, but you've still got time.

• Rental Tent Service: We are about 50% sold out. If you want one, now's your time to book that!

• PHAT Rooms: We have a long waiting list. If you're serious about wanting a room at some point in the future, you can complete the form linked here and get on the waitlist.

• Rental Bikes: When you add your services, you'll have the option to add a rental bike if you need one. Availability varies, so please reach out to Pete if you have any questions.

• Shuttles: We will send out an update about shuttles in the early part of the week after the Route Announcement. We need time to get pricing from the bus companies and figure out our schedules (see more below). These will not sell out immediately - we try to build the number of buses around demand as much as possible. That being said, we have to make cutoffs at some point, so the earlier you know your plans the better chance of you getting on the bus you want!

We are constantly looking for ways to improve our processes and your experience, and we recognized that if you aren't with Pork Belly because of RAGBRAI, but are interested in some of our other rides (Big BAM on the Katy, Bran, Unbound, Bicycling Around Minnesota, etc.) then you might be getting a LOT of emails each year that aren't of interest to you. So, we're trying out something new with our RAGBRAI 2026 communication from here on out. We have a "General Interest" list where we will send multi-topic or first-round updates. We now also have a special "RAGBRAI 2026" list. If you have registered with us, you will automatically be placed on this list, and we will update the list before sending each email. If you have not registered with us, but want to continue to receive all of the information about RAGBRAI 2026, please sign up for the list using the form below. We also have a "Trail Rides" list that we will use to share information about rides like Big BAM on the Katy, Black Hills Hundred, Rooster Trail Ride, Birds & Bees, and more. If you're interested in these smaller trail rides, please sign up for this list. As with years past, we will also be sharing our updates on our website and the app.

Sign up for this email list if you want to receive the emailed updates about Pork Belly on RAGBRAI 2026. If you have already registered with us, we will use the email you signed up with and place you on this list.

Sign up for this email list if you want to receive information about some of our other rides on the Katy Trail in Missouri, the Mickelson in South Dakota, the Wabash Trace in southwest Iowa, and more.

Saturday, January 24th is a big day! We will be at the Iowa Bike Expo from 9 AM - 3 PM at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines. After that, we will head to the RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party, starting at 6 PM at Vibrant Music Hall in Waukee. Both events are great to get you psyched up for your July plans!

We will begin working on our Shuttles as soon as the route is announced on the evening of January 24th. Since it is a Saturday night, and there are many factors to consider, it will be sometime early the week of the 26th before we can get everything solidified and ready to share with you. We will send this information out in a comprehensive update to all who have registered with us or are on the RAGBRAI 2026 list (see that section about communication above!).

We will offer all of the usual shuttles - E/W on Friday & Saturday pre-RAGBRAI, Omaha pre- & post-, Des Moines pre- & post-, Des Moines midweek Exit/Enter, and an airport TBD in Eastern Iowa post-RAGBRAI.

We have our usual schedule of events this year, minus the Black Hills Hundred. Because the bulk of the planning for BHH comes at the same time as our RAGBRAI preparations, we've decided to pause it for this year. If you know of another ride that you would like to see us on, please let the ride organizers know about us and put them in contact with us via email at info@pkbelly.com!

The event schedule below has some of our biggest rides of the year, and also included is a more complete list with links to the direct event pages. The services we provide for each of these events varies based on the needs of the organizers, so feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.

The Early Bird

April 4 | Omaha, NE

Lazy Horse Gravel Grind

May 16 | Ohiowa, NE

Unbound Gravel

May 27-31 | Emporia, KS

BRAN (Bike Ride Across Nebraska)

June 6-13 | Valentine-Arlington, NE

Big BAM on the Katy

June 6-13 | Clinton-St. Charles, MO

Solstice Gravel Grinder

June 20 | Beatrice, NE

RAGBRAI

July 18-25 | Iowa, TBD

Rooster Tail Ride

August 7-9 | Wabash Trace, IA

Bicycling Around Minnesota

August 13 - 16 | Minnesota, TBD

Big BAM - Route 66

September 4-10 | Joplin-Eureka, MO

Pony Express Gravel Dash

September 12 | Marysville, KS

Big BAM on the Katy

October 10-17 | Clinton-St. Charles, MO

If you joined us on RAGBRAI last year, you may remember Friday evening in Oelwein when Tammy announced that she would be retiring, and 2025 was her last RAGBRAI. Lucky for all of us, she's easing into retirement (kind of like Dave Kennedy!) and is still maintaining an active role in our customer service, answering emails and phone calls and training us on other duties. While we will miss her on so many levels, we are so glad that she's agreed to stick around with us and help this year, and are excited that she gets to spend more time with family and whatever she wants! Who knows, maybe we'll see her on a bike for a future RAGBRAI!