Rails to River XC Mountain Bike Race

Sunday May 17, 2026 (rain date May 31st)

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Rails to River XC Mountain Bike Race

The Rails to River XC Mountain Bike Race will return to Lake Fairfax in 2026! The R2R is a cross country mountain bike race with racers doing 1, 2, or 3 laps of the approximately 7.5 mile course.

*** we are heading back over the big pavilion where we used to stage out of. ****

Pre-Race Email Sent to Racers

Race Date: Sunday May 17, 2026 (rain date May 31st)
Race Format: XC with 1, 2, or 3 laps (~7 mile per lap)

Base (1 lap = 7.5ish miles)
Sport (2 laps = 15ish miles)
Expert (3 laps = 23ish miles)

We are separating each race into wave starts by class (e.g., male open, male 40+, etc.) to help space out the field.

Bathrooms: Portajons and park bathrooms at start/finish of each lap
Contact: Andy Bacon (RD) 703-338-3965 and info@ex2adventures.com

Note about e-Bikes. After several years of allowing e-bikes in all races, we are limiting e-bikes to the base race only in 2026. Each year, we get a few complaints about aggressive passing by e-bikers in both the sport and expert race, so this year we are not allowing them in those races. e-Bikes are OK in the base race since it’s one lap and the e-bikers start first.

Register

Volunteer

Lake Fairfax Trail Fund

All the trails at Lake Fairfax Park are primarily built and maintained by volunteers organized by the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts (MORE). All racers will have the opportunity to donate to the Lake Fairfax Trail Fund during registration.

Race Course

Race Course Notes

We are returning over to the large pavilion for the start/finish in 2026.
The race course is roughly 7.5 miles in length, and the start and finish are at the large pavilion (GPX file).
The elevation change is about 500 feet and there are no significant climbs, although there are numerous shorter ones.
The race starts just below the gravel hill climb near the large pavilion.
The Base and Sport races have a modified first lap that reduce the distance by .5 miles.
There are a few fairly technical rock sections, but they are short and can easily be walked if needed.
Lake Fairfax is awesome…come get some!

Registration Fees

$35 to $65
Longer races at $5 more than shorter races.
Race day registration is available if the race doesn’t sell out (the race has sold out all 5 years) for an additional fee.

Registration Fee Includes

Fun and challenging course design, professional race operations, wonderful volunteer support, mechanical support, awesome aid stations, medical support, plentiful post-race food, electric atmosphere, great music, and awards and give-a-ways.

Race Day Schedule

Sunday May 17, 2026 (rain date May 31st)
9:00am – Base (1 lap) race start
11:00am – Sport (2 laps) race start
2:00pm – Expert (3 laps) race start

Check-in opens 90 minutes before each race start time.

Draft Race Start Procedures (subject to change)
We are separating each race into wave starts to allow enough space to spread out the field of riders. Each wave will be separated by a few minutes. Exact start times will be based on the number of riders in each class.

Race Location and Parking

Lake Fairfax Park
1400 Lake Fairfax Drive
Reston, VA 20190

We stage the race out of the large pavilion at Lake Fairfax. Just follow the race parking signs once you enter the park. We park in the grass fields adjacent to the large pavilions.