The Festival

More than just a ride, a full weekend of fun enjoying the Sierra.

Check out the 2024 festival schedule - 2025 will be equally awesome!

The beautiful rides through the Lost Sierra are amazing, from 35 mile course for the 'Good Times Rider', to 100 mile course for the ‘Serious Riders and Racers’. But there is so much more than just the ride...

Friday Night Packet Pick-up Welcome Party

• Location: Portola City Park
• On-site registration & check-in: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm - try to walk or ride your bike to check-in
• Live Music by Big Sticky Mess "Original funk for your earhole"!
• Local Food Trucks
• Adult beverages available - 3:00pm to 7:00pm
  • All beverage proceeds go to trails too!
  • Registered riders/racers get a beverage ticket at packet pickup that can be used Friday or Saturday
  • Volunteers get a ticket for a beverage

Saturday

In partnership with the City of Portola, we have a full evening of festivities planned on Saturday.

Fun for Riders, Families and Friends

• 6:00am to 8:00am - Packet pickup (no registration)
  Coffee available
   
• Ride start times: 8am start as mass roll-out for Longest racers and 9am start as mass roll-out for Longer and Long mile racers. All categories will stage at least 15 minutes prior to start time for instructions on completing the ride.
   
• Post-ride recovery in Portola City Park starting at 12pm, including post-ride meal (12-6pm) for registered riders and local food trucks also available.
• Post Ride Party Saturday in Portola City Park with food, beverages, live music, and dancing till 8pm - the way we like to do it!
  • Events Camping in Portola - includes showers.
    Consider camping onsite at Portola City Park for convenient partying opportunities.
    
  • Awards Ceremony - 3pm to 5pm
    Will be held at the stage to celebrate the victors in style.
    Awards begin in this order: Pro Men & Women, 35 Mile - 2 categories, 65 Mile - Men, 65 Mile - Women, 100 Mile - Men, 100 Mile Women
  • Bike Wash - 12:00pm - 5:30pm
  • Bike Valet - 12:00pm - ends 7:30pm
    
  • Live Acoustic Music from Danny Horton - 12:30pm
    
  • Free Kids Races - 5pm
    Kid's evening races around the park - all ages welcome. Three groups from small to tall. This is a fun race just for the kids to have some fun on their bikes too - sponsored by the Your Favorite Cyclist. We will have forms posted to fill out and bring onsite to the race. Onsite registration will also be available.
    
  • Lost and Found Expo – yes we’ve even got shopping! Opens at 12pm.
  • Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship merchandise booth
  • Yuba Expeditions booth
  • National bike brand booths
  • Local small business booths
    
  • Tasty adult beverages - provided by our sponsors at our Beverage Garden in Portola City Park.
    • Food will be available on Saturday along with local food vendors.
    • ID Required for adult beverages
    • Purchase beverage tickets with CC or cash (no checks)
    • Adult beverages will be available on Friday from 3pm to 7pm and Saturday from 12pm to 8pm
    • Awards for Long, Longer and Longest racers are scheduled from 3pm to 5pm.
  • Builders For Builders — Frame Builders Showcase!
    We have a bunch of amazing frame builders coming to not only show off their wizardry of frame builds, but to also ride the race with you! We'll have all the bikes at the festival and you can meet the builders too! Builders coming: McGovern Falconer, Moots, Sycip, Squid, Caletti, Breadwinner, Prandus, Mosaic, and Steve Rex!
    Frame builders with their bikes at the Lost & Found.
  • Live Music - 6:00pm
    LAZWELL(formerly known as “Lantz Lazwell & the Vibe Tribe”)
    Lazwell grabs hold like a purple feathered Boa constrictor, delving into unexpected regions of Funk, Soul, blues, and jam Rock. If you thought this band was a party in the past, now with the addition of a horn section, they are a down right dance floor killah!
    
  • Festival concludes for the day - 8:00pm 

Sunday

• Pancake Breakfast at Portola Park - 7am - 10am

Choose your own adventure! Check out the fun things to do in Portola below!

• Fun at Lake Davis
• Hiking, biking, fishing, paddling, sitting in a chair recovering peacefully
• Rest sore legs
• Attend to sunburns for those who didn’t use sunscreen on Saturday
• Eventually pack-up your stuff and roll out

Parking

Event parking will be available near Portola City Park. We will provide a team of volunteers responsible for parking and directing traffic during the venue hours. 

Parking on race day:

• Baptist Church parking lot 171 S Gulling St Portola, CA 96122
• Portola Rail yards between Commercial St/First Ave/Western Pacific Way and Middle Fork Feather River
• NO PARKING ALLOWED on S. Gulling St between Portola City Park and S Gulling St Bridge. Vehicles will be TOWED! (This is the street with the bridge over the river next to the venue)
• No Event Day parking at Portola City Park

Fun Things to do during the weekend in Portola

The city of Portola (pop. 2,104) is situated at 4,856 feet elevation near the headwaters of the Feather River, a federally recognized Wild and Scenic River, with Smith Peak to the north and Beckwourth Peak to the south. Named after Gaspar de Portola, the first Governor of California, Portola has much more in common with logging and railroads than it does the Spanish colonial province of the 18th Century. (more Portola history)

Aside from its railroad history, Portola is rich in natural beauty. The volcanic spires of Beckwourth Peak tower over the town to the south, while less than 10 miles to the north, Lake Davis boasts world class fishing, along with hundreds of miles of scenic dirt roads connecting to even more remote lakes and streams, a gravel exporation paradise!

• Weekend campout – savor the smell of dirt and smoke in your nostril hairs for a week!
• 165 sites with up to 6 people per site at Lake Davis
• Camping information
  
• Camping not your thing? Check out the beautiful Nakoma Resort for comfort and room service
• Kids activities
• Free kids race on Saturday (see above)
• Ride the pump track and loop trail in Portola City Park
• Skate or scooter the concrete skate park in Portola City Park
• Swim at the pool in Portola City Park (see below)
• Bring your water frisbees, water ball sponge things, bubble wands, jump ropes, squirt guns
• Swim at the Portola Pool at the Portola Park
• Visit the Portola Railroad Train Museum
• One of the largest and most historic collections of diesel locomotives in the United States
• Unlike other railroad museums, visitors are encouraged to climb up into the cabs of locomotives, sit in the engineer's seat and browse through the many caboose and passenger cars that are on display.
• Ride or Hike the newly constructed Beckwourth Peak Trail
• Built by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, the trail starts from Portola and goes to the top of nearby Beckwourth Peak.
• The top is still under construction.
• Walk the Portola Riverwalk paved trail
• Frisbee Golf Portola Riverwalk Disc Golf Course
• John Houck designed course
• Event camping in this area, course is unavailable during event
• Visit the historic Jim Beckwourth Cabin and Museum
• The Jim Beckwourth Museum is a well preserved 1850's log cabin, believed to be the third such cabin built by Jim Beckwourth as a trading post and 'hotel' in the Sierra Valley
• Drive up to the spectacular views of nearby Smith Peak fire lookout
• Beautiful view over Lake Davis and the region at an elevation of 7,693 feet, ground clearance vehicle ercouraged.
• Taste Craft Beers and enjoy outside in the forest at the Brewing Lair.
• Beautiful Lake Davis Fun
• Sit on the beach, feet in the water soaking up some sun and high Sierra beauty. Spiritual relaxation guaranteed. 
• Swimming
• kayaking
• SUPin’ or boating fun for the whole family
• Fishing
• Lake Davis is considered one of the best trout lakes in the western US. Fly fishing or spin casting. Fishing licenses required.
• Bald Eagle spotting
• Lake Davis Loop Trail – hiking, biking or horseback riding
• Lakeside trail that’s family and kid friendly with scenic views of the lake, bald eagles and osprey