Lost and Found Gravel Festival returns to Portola for 2022
After a long wait, Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) has announced that the Lost and Found Gravel Festival will return in 2022, in partnership with long-time cycling production team, Breakaway Promotions.
The Lost and Found bike race will run on June 4, 2022, and the proposed routes feature a 101-mile route with 8,100 feet of elevation gain. Shorter 39-mile and 61-mile routes will also be available. The City of Portola contacted Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship and encouraged the event taking place on the heels of a tough year in 2021.
In years past, the race and festival provided an economic boost to the region each year it was held, and the town was prepared to get the race going again, when wildfire season struck.
During the summer and fall of 2021, the now infamous Dixie Fire burned much of the Lost Sierra, creating hazardous air quality for months. The Dixie Fire was the largest single wildfire in state history. The Lost and Found race and festival is now looking to “rise from these ashes and create a positive financial impact on the community of Portola in 2022,” according to organizers.
A statement released by SBTS included exciting news- a partnership between SBTS and Breakaway Promotions. Breakaway Promotions hosts the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder and Oregon Gravel Grinder Series in the Pacific Northwest.
“We at Team Breakaway are incredibly excited for the opportunity to be a part of the 2022 Lost and Found Gravel Festival. This iconic event in Northern California shares our values and passion for providing the most scenic, challenging, well organized gravel event possible to riders who attend. Partnering with the amazing folks from the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship is an honor,” says Chad Sperry of Breakaway Promotions.
Portola and many of the small communities supported by the Connected Communities Project suffered direct damage from the fire or missed out on their tourism seasons due to evacuation orders and unlivable air quality.
The Connected Communities Project will connect 15 mountain towns for economic prosperity through outdoor recreation – and in the process build the proposed 600+ mile Lost Sierra Route.
The Lost Sierra Route is A Trail for Everyone allowing all trail user groups to enjoy the great outdoors together. The Lost and Found will be a fundraiser for the Project with proceeds going directly toward the cause.
SBTS and Breakaway are committed to running the event safely, and for the enjoyment and economic benefit of all communities comprising the Lost Sierra.
“This event is an opportunity for folks to raise money and awareness, and to contribute financially and substantially to the success of Connected Communities and our Community Recovery efforts. We look forward to once again safely bringing our people together in what is still one of the most beautiful and empty places on earth,” says SBTS Executive Director Greg Williams. Registration for the 2022 Lost and Found opens in March. For more information, visit the Lost and Found website.
About Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship
SBTS is a Quincy, California-based 501c3 focused on building what the organization calls “#dirtmagic” – multiple-use motorized and non-motorized trails for public use Lost Sierra region of the Northern Sierra Nevada range. Since its founding in 2003, SBTS has built over 100 miles of new trail and maintained 1,200 miles of existing trail while employing a full-time Professional Trail Crew and contributing over 100,000 hours of volunteer labor. More at https://sierratrails.org/
Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS) has announced that the Lost and Found Gravel Festival will return in June 2022, in partnership with long-time cycling production team, Breakaway Promotions. Shown, riders start the race in the City of Portola on June 1, 2019. Photo by Lauren Westmoreland
