Tobin Ortenblad has always had a special connection with the Lost Sierra. Growing up in Santa Cruz, he gravitated toward the remote corner of the northeast Sierra often to ride and race, and quickly became a member of the close-knit community cultivated by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS)…
Register today for Lost and Found!
Ortenblad’s title sponsor, Santa Cruz Bicycles, has supported the Stewardship initiative for years, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars that have created numerous miles of Dirt Magic and helped build a sustainable recreation-based economy in the region. When SBTS started the Lost & Found Gravel Festival in 2014, Ortenblad was on the starting line—and has been at almost every race since, often landing on the top step of the podium (or very close to it). He’s raced every year except for two when his team commitments at Unbound overlapped with Lost & Found. He’s sort of the unofficial mayor of Lost and Found, the people’s champ if you will.
So, last fall, when Greg Williams, founder and executive director of SBTS, asked him to design the new “Full Bull” 100-mile course, he was immediately on board. Williams and Ortenblad scouted the zone on dirt bikes last fall, ultimately linking together a 96-mile route with 7,688 feet of elevation gain from 600 miles of Forest Service gravel roads included in SBTS’ race permit in the Plumas National Forest.
“Lost & Found is the first gravel event I ever raced. I’ve always held it near and dear to my heart, and it has set a benchmark for what I think gravel should be. I’ve participated in almost every Lost & Found since its founding. I think this year‘s course has a taste of all of my favorite regional roads and views. This year‘s course will have two big climbs and descents. We incorporated some nice smooth ripping roads and a few chunky ones that you’ve come to love and expect at this event.”
There are some notable changes—namely, the “Dotta Descent,” a chunky 2-mile final downhill that was a thrill if you happened to be riding a mountain bike, but for everyone else, um, was not. That’s now out of all three courses. This year, the 96-mile course goes farther north to the upper reaches of the Plumas National Forest and the Genesee Valley, featuring a long, beautiful 10-mile descent with sweeping valley vista, before the course profile climbs up again.
Lost and Found was the brainchild of ex-pro Chris McGovern (also Ortenblad’s former coach), who now operates Seeker Adventure Gear and McGovern Cycles. It’s a weekend-long festival celebrating all things two-wheeled. It’s also one of the most challenging gravel races on the domestic calendar. This year, the race has partnered with the Gravel Earth Series and will feature a brand-new course.
100 miles of rugged singletrack starting at over 5000 feet of elevation. What started as a few friends getting weird in the woods has become a race drawing top pros and enthusiasts from around the country. Between the racers, support staff, and family (the race takes place on Father’s Day Weekend), Lost & Found nearly doubles Portola’s population, with almost everyone camping along the Feather River and the town park.
Ortenblad himself hand-selected the new course. After finishing second to ex-US Postal rider Levi Leipheimer in 2024, Williams invited Tobin to return earlier and spend a week riding and tweaking the route. Snowpack has affected the course for multiple years in a row, constantly forcing Williams and his team to alter it weeks before the race. This year, the goal was to purposefully select trails at slightly lower elevations that would still provide the backdrop required for Lost & Found to live up to its reputation.
Williams and Ortenblad selected a course with something for everyone for the 2025 Lost & Found. Realizing that only a handful of people are out to race, most participants are present to have fun, challenge themselves, and support the SBTS.
For those who plan to spend time at the pointy end of things, the 96-mile course has nearly 1,000 more feet of elevation gain than last year, while still remaining beneath the snow line. Leiphimer plans to return, along with other top gravel pros Peter Stetina and Lance Haidet, and on the women’s side, newly crowned Unbound champion and defending Gravel Earth Series champion Karo Migon and Brit star Danni Shrosbee.
The pro women will have a separate rollout this year, a first for Lost & Found, with what is shaping up to be the largest pro women’s field in the race’s history. The expo will also be larger, the music louder, and the vibe will go strong all weekend long. The People’s Champ will be present to take the top step (no pressure, Tobin!) along with 1,000 riders looking to have the best day ever in the Lost Sierra.
