Lost River Classic
The Lost River Classic is a cycling, gran fondo, gravel, mountain biking, and trail running event held on Saturday, August 15, 2026. It is located at 195 Howards Lick Rd in Mathias, West Virginia.
- Date:
- Sat, Aug 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM
- Location:
-
195 Howards Lick Rd
Mathias, West Virginia
26812
United States
OpenStreetMap Google Maps - Links:
- lostrivertrailscoalition.org Register at bikereg.com
- Tags:
- Cycling Gran Fondo Gravel Mountain Biking Trail
Lost River Classic: Saturday, August 15, 2026 at 9 AM
The Lost River Classic returns for its third year on August 15, 2026! Registration opens Christmas Day 2025 at an early bird rate of $65 before going up to $85 on January 2 and $100 on August 1.
The Lost River Classic presented by the Lost River Trails Coalition is a gravel race to support the development of multi-use and mountain biking trails in Lost River State Park, Hardy County, West Virginia. Proceeds from the event are split between LRTC's general funds for trail maintenance/small projects and the Cryptids, Hardy County's NICA youth mountain bike team. This event is inspired by Jay Moglia, the founder of Raw Talent Ranch and the first President of the Lost River Trails Coalition. Jay once ran a road race in Mathias by the same name, and we thought it was a fitting tribute to recast his race as a collection of some of the most challenging and beautiful roads we can string together in Hardy County.
[Lost River Classic 2024_View 2-50.jpg]
This is a very challenging event. We recommend gravel bikes with low, almost mountain bike gearing and 38mm+ tires for most riders.
The Lost River Classic is part of the West Virginia Gravel Series. Qualifying participants across many categories for long, medium, and short routes can win additional cash or prizes. See the WVGS website for rules. There is an optional $5 surcharge to participate in the West Virginia Gravel Series.
For updates and information, follow at https://www.facebook.com/LostRiverClassic and https://www.instagram.com/lostriverclassic/
Routes and Prizes
The Lost River Classic (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49458335) consists of an 85 mile, mostly gravel route primarily in Hardy County, WV (8,500 feet of elevation in 85 miles).
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Men's, Women's, and Nonbinary Open: $500/3
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All other categories: prizes
The Medium Route (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49458343) joins the 85 mile bike race for the first half of the ride and returns on Old Route 55 to Baker rather than heading as far north as Kirby. This route is less challenging and technical than the original WVGS Medium route, but will be about 60 miles long with 6,000 feet of climbing.
- All categories: prizes
The Cove Mountain Loop (https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43630063) is a 28 mile circuit departing with the rest of the cyclists, but turns left toward Middle Cove Road and Aid Station 1 without crossing over Basore Road into Virginia. This is still a challenging route on beautiful roads, but without the sufferfest of the major climbs. There is still one gravel climb and descent on this route.
- All categories: prizes
Bail Outs and Time Cuts
The long route is very challenging, but it is possible to bail out after Squirrel Gap road to join the medium route.
Aid Stations
Aid stations are placed roughly 20 miles apart:
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Aid Station 1 (northern Squirrel Gap Road): Mile 25 of the medium and long routes
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Aid Station 2 (Grassy Lick Community Center, Kirby): Mile 43 of the long route only
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Aid Station 3 (Red's Broken Spoke, Baker): Mile 61 of long routes and mile 36 of medium route
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Aid Station 4 (Lost River Barn): Mile 78 of long route and mile 53 of medium route
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Aid Station A (The Lost River Yoga Barn/Inn at Lost River): Mile 15 of the short course only
Aid stations will be relatively minimalistic: water, HEED by Hammer Nutrition, and Coke and snacks like pretzels, chips, trail mix, peanut butter and jelly, fruit, pickles, etc.
Event Details
Package pick-up and same day registration will be available beginning at 7:30 AM on August 15.
All event categories will depart from the Mathias Community Center at 9 AM on August 15, with the family ride a few minutes later.
There will be a post-ride meal and party at the Mathias Community Center. A meal ticket is included for every category. The meal consists of traditional Hardy County pit chicken BBQ prepared by the Mathias Community Center with vegetarian sides of baked beans and mac and cheese from South Branch Smokehouse. The vegetarian main option will be a wrap from Drifter's Cafe.
Additional meal tickets can be purchased separately in the event registration for $20. One free T-shirt will be given to every participant, with a cutoff of July 25. Additional T-shirts can be purchased in the online event registration.
The event will be held rain or shine, although we may be course changes for heavy rain.
Farmer's Market and Live Music
This year's event will have a farmer's market at the Mathias Community Center from 1-5pm. You can read more about the market and vendors here.
CC Nichols will play a solo set around 1pm and Ben Townsend and Matt Metz will play in tandem from 3-5pm.
Equipment
All riders must wear a bicycle helmet.
The Lost River Classic route features more than 50% gravel. Some of this can be relatively rough and we recommend gravel bikes with tires at or above 36mm width. We do not recommend road bikes. Any type of bike is suitable for the family ride.
There are aid stations every 25 or so miles, but you should bring with you two full bottles (it can be hot in August).
Transfers and Changes
Registration transfers can be made from person to person and route changes may be made online until August 14 at 5pm. After this, only route changes may be made by informing the registration table a check-in before 9AM on August 15. These changes can be made in your Bikereg account.
Accommodations
There are several hotels and bed and breakfasts nearby, ranging from Lost River to Wardensville, as well as the South Branch Inn in Moorefield. Guesthouse Lost River is among the most popular hotels in the area. Lost River State Park features a variety of cabins. These are in high demand, so we suggest booking them well in advance of the event weekend. Adjacent to the park is the private Big Ridge Campground that can accommodate both tents and RVs. Please see the Hardy County Convention and Visitors Bureau for more information about lodging.
Sponsors
Without the generous support of our sponsors, we would not be able to host this event:
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American Woodmark Foundation
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Lost River Pride
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Lost River Trading Post
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Lost River Trading Post Realty
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Hammer Nutrition
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South Branch Inn
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Walmart
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Pilgrim's Pride
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Mathias Community Center
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Hardy County Convention and Visitors Bureau
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Gerald Langan PLLC
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Red's Broken Spoke
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South Branch Smokehouse
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Hardy Telecommunications
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Lost River Barn
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Capon Valley Bank
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Burke and Herbert Bank
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Cove Mountain Bakery
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Drifter's Cafe
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King Technical Apparel
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RC Cola Bottling of Winchester