Pork Belly Update-MASSAGE!

Besides our awesome customers, Pork Belly has been blessed with so many excellent long-term crew members. Among them is Julie, who has long managed our Massage Team. It's hard to say goodbye, but we know that she has done a great job of leading by example and training Ashley to take over her duties. Here's a note from Julie - we wish her well enjoying her July with her grandkids! (below - Julie & Ashley all smiles working on Ride The Rockies)

A note from Julie...

Another year and another RAGBRAI route is out! Sadly, It is time for me to close this season of work and move into active grandma mode. Camping, hiking, swimming, and biking are the goals for this summer. It was not an easy decision after 13 years of working with Pork Belly Ventures. I will miss working alongside all the great PBV crewmembers and our awesome Massage Team. We had so much fun! Who'd have thought you could work so hard in all kinds of weather with little sleep on the hard ground for a week straight and still love what you're doing! It's the people you're with and YOU, the riders we got to serve!  No worries though, I leave you in the seasoned hands of one of our massage team members, Ashley as your new massage coordinator. She is ready to go! Thank you Pete and Tammy, Pork Belly Ventures Crews, Massage Team and all the friendly riders I got to meet.

-Julie

A note from Ashley...

Many of you may recognize me zipping around camp in a side by side by day, and working under the massage tent by night. If you've ridden any smaller PBV rides you may have seen me there also! My responsibilities have certainly evolved in the 9 years I've been working with Pork Belly, so I am looking forward to starting in this new role as Massage Coordinator. 

I hear that if you like what you do, you don't work a day in your life... Well, RAGBRAI might only be a week, but it's a week I look forward to every year, so I guess that means I found just the right crazy group of riders (and crew) to work with on the best bike ride around! Here's to another year in the corn! 

-Ashley

The PBV Massage Team, led by Ashley, will have eleven hardy massage therapists working daily in camp, Sunday to Friday. This team goes with us on the road, camps with us, moves each day, and works long hours in the elements to provide massage therapy for our riders! Some team members pull double-duty, working on the Pork Crew in the morning and then providing massages for the second half of the day.

This offer/service is only for riders who are already signed up for the Weeklong Support or the Partial-Week Support of PBV. Massage therapy is available from about 1:00 to 9:00 PM daily, on Sunday through Friday of RAGBRAI. Ashley, Pork Belly Ventures' massage team leader, is ready to take your appointments! Please be aware that Ashley does have a full-time practice outside of her work with Pork Belly - so please be patient as she works through requests in the order they are received.

Please make sure that you include complete information on your request form when you write to Ashley:

• Complete a form for each person for whom you are making appointments,
• Include the preference of a male or female therapist,
• Include your preferred times and duration of massage (people often forget the duration! How long is your massage?),
• Please mention anything regarding the massage modality or style that you prefer.
• Answer all questions on the form.

Prime times usually fill up first. (Please consider your daily mileage when making appointments; see next topic.) If massage is important for your RAGBRAI experience, we encourage you to make your appointments in advance. Including complete info will help you reserve your time slot more efficiently--otherwise, Ashley must write to you for clarification, while others are taking those prime-time spots.

When you're planning to make massage appointments, be sure to think about your daily mileage and riding speed. While it might work for you to book a 2 PM appointment on Friday (42.2 miles), you might not want to do that on Thursday (81.4 miles). It is very bad form to stand up your therapist--had to say it. Below is a listing of each daily mileage and elevation.

Complete and submit the request form linked to the button below, which also appears on the Pork Belly Mobile App!

We'll be in touch when we have more news to share, friends! Remember, all RAGBRAI-specific info will be shared through our RAGBRAI 2026 list from here on out (if you're receiving this, you're on the list!). As always, let us know if you have any questions as we dive into the details planning for your Week in the Corn!

Cheers, from all of us here at Pork Belly Ventures!