SBTS Partners With Breakaway Promotions
Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship has announced that the Lost and Found Gravel Festival will return in 2022, in partnership with long-time cycling production team, Breakaway Promotions. Lost and Found will run on June 4th, 2022, and the proposed routes will feature a 101 mile route with 8,100 feet of elevation gain. Shorter 39 mile and 61 mile routes are also available.
The City of Portola contacted SBTS and encouraged the event taking place following a tough 2021. The festival provided an economic boost to the region each year it was held, and the town was ready to get the race going again. In the summer and fall of 2021, the Dixie Fire burned much of the Lost Sierra and created dangerous air quality for months. It was the largest single wildfire in state history. Lost and Found looks to rise from these ashes and create a positive financial impact on the community of Portola in 2022.
“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. Breakaway Promotions hosts the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder and Oregon Gravel Grinder Series in the Pacific Northwest.
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.
