Mike Pence rides a Harley to a showcase of 2024 runners as he teases Wednesday campaign launch

Former Vice President Mike Pence pulled on a helmet and straddled at Harley Davidson motorbike on Saturday, riding at the head of a biker procession to a major gathering of Republican 2024 hopefuls.

He has not yet declared a run but is expected to launch his campaign on Wednesday.

Pence joined Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Gov Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott and other declared candidates in Des Moines, Iowa.

But the frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, was notably absent, continuing a strategy of avoiding events where he has to share a stage with rivals.

His former VP was the only hopeful who took part in the motorbike rally, one part of Sen. Joni Ernst’s Roast and Ride 

Former Vice President Mike Pence donned a leather vest and jeans as he joined a column of about 200 bikers in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday at a gathering of 2024 hopefuls

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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mingled with supporters and signed books and posters at the state fairgrounds near Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday morning

In an interview he gave to Newsmax before the ride, Pence said he and his wife, Karen, have spent much time praying and reflecting on how to serve the country next.

‘We’ve come to a decision. I thought that there’d be no better place to announce our decision than right here in the Hawkeye state,’ he said.

Pence has made multiple trips to the early caucus state over the past year as he tests the waters, but has yet to formally enter the race.

He wore jeans, boots and a leather vest with patches paying tribute to his home state of ‘Indiana’ and messages supportive of the military as he joined Ernst at the head of the rumbling column of bikers. 

The second part of the event was a series of speeches in front of Iowa voters. 

The rally at the state fairgrounds near Des Moines is one of the first chances for Republicans in the state to compare almost of the candidates side by side.

Others appearing are former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Michigan businessman Perry Johnson, author Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative talk radio host Larry Elder. 

Sen. Tim Scott, whose unique selling point is an optimistic message of unity, was the first of the candidates to take the stage

Absent was Trump, even though supporters had placed his signs around the fairgrounds parking lot. 

The first to take the stage was Scott, who is trying to unify the party with a message of optimism, based on his own rags to riches story.

‘I scare the dickens out of the radical left and Joe Biden,’ he said. ‘The proof of my life destroys their lies.’