I am writing to you today to ask for your support in a very special way. On July 16th, 2023, I will be participating in the 25th Annual Downieville Classic XC in memory of my dear friend, Doug Rickard. The race will take place on 7/13/23 in Sierra City, CA. The course is a challenging 26 mile loop that winds through some of the most beautiful scenery in Sierra Buttes, gaining 4000 feet and 6800' downhill

Doug was a passionate cyclist and an inspiration to me over the years. We first met at The Good Guys in the Bay Area. We became the best of friends, watched each other start our families, get married, raise our kids, and helping each other along the way. I remember one year he broke his back snowboarding, and we spent countless hours playing video games while he recovered. He was always up for a challenge, and he loved to push himself to the limit. We even had matching Santa Cruz Bullit's we'd take to Demo Forest in Santa Cruz and rail down the trails. 

He was the most amazing genuine friend/father you could ask for, and he always put others before himself. We had similar interest in art/music and eventually he gravitated into the art world creating new and innovative photography using Google Maps that captured politics, poverty, racial equality, and the socioeconomic climate of America[- A New American Picture/American Suburb X. 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Rickard_(photographer)

 https://americansuburbx.com/doug-rickard

I was in disbelief that Doug had passed away only a few months after losing my Dad. His death was a shock to us all, and I know many are still struggling trying to understand. 

In memory, I'll be racing Doug's bike in the Downieville Classic. I am hoping to raise money to help support the trail network and know would be proud to support a great cause, hopefully even have a trail name in his memory. I know that Doug would be proud of me for doing this in his memory. He was always there to support me in my endeavors and will be forever missed, but never forgotten.

I am asking for your help in raising money for this worthy cause. Any donation, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your support.

Jason Daggett

By raising donations for the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship , the nonprofit that organizes the Downieville Classic, you're supporting continual trail enhancement of the Downieville Trail Network, where our trail crews have been putting shovels in the dirt since the Stewardship formed in 2003. You're also supporting our Connected Communities project, which aims to spur economic development in the Lost Sierra by leveraging the $887 billion outdoor industry. Our longterm goal is to link up 600 miles of new and existing singletrack to form multi-use signature route to connect and highligh communities across the region. Together, through trails, we can bring local jobs, tourism dollars and ultimately stability to an area that already gives all of us so much. 

With your donation, you're not only helping me to reach my fundraising goal, but you're making a real difference for The Lost Sierra region!

New this year, Downieville Classic racers can earn their entry fees back by doubling them through donations to Connected Communities, the cornerstone project of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship .

Riders will be reimbursed ALL their entry fees (minus the non-refundable BikeReg surcharge) if they raise at least twice what they paid to enter in donations. Racers who meet the minimum donation will be reimbursed within two weeks following the event on the credit card used for original payment. Additionally, the top three overall fundraisers and best team fundraiser will be in the running for sweet prizes, like top-end Fox Factory suspension, a Reserve wheelset and a Kuat rack, and an exclusive invite to the pre-race Thursday Night Party.

The Stewardship was born in 2003 out of the need to support the Tahoe National Forest in maintaining the Downieville trail system and, 20 years later, enhancement and maintenance of the trail network remains a yearly priority—your support helps make that happen!

Dollars raised by Downieville racers also support Connected Communities, a multifaceted project designed to spur economic development in the Lost Sierra region and our most ambitious project to date. The most exciting component of Connected Communities is a proposed 600 miles of singletrack trail that would create a network connecting towns across the region. The long term goal is to establish a multi-user signature route—dubbed the Lost Sierra Route—that would highlight these communities and stimulate local economies. Donations will go directly toward progress on the next two phases of the project: environmental review and construction. 

Together, through trails, we can bring local jobs, tourism dollars and ultimately stability to an area that already gives all of us so much. 

This year, we are providing a fundraising opportunity as part of our race registration process that enables racers to earn their entry fees back, as well as play a pivotal role in a bigger mission to ensure longterm economic prosperity in the Lost Sierra region. Racers who choose to fundraise will be rallying their networks for donations for Connected Communities, the cornerstone project of the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (the nonprofit that organizes the Downieville Classic and Lost & Found Gravel races). The goal? Raise at least double your entry fees, and you'll get your fees back (minus a BikeReg surcharge). 

Connected Communities is a multifaceted project designed to spur economic development in the Lost Sierra region and our most ambitious project to date. The most exciting component of Connected Communities is a proposed 600 miles of singletrack trail that would create a network connecting towns across the region. The long term goal is to establish a multi-user signature route—dubbed the Lost Sierra Route—that would highlight these communities and stimulate local economies. The dollars raised by racers this year will go directly toward progress on the next two phases of the project: environmental review and construction. 

Your fundraising efforts will help this region recover from years of devastating wildfires and economic hardship following the decline of the timber and extraction industries. This film  helps explain the impact of the Lost Sierra Route will have in these mountain towns. 

Together, through trails, we can bring local jobs, tourism dollars and ultimately stability to an area that already gives all of us so much.