By Ed Fletcher, Sacramento Bee

As it turned out, it wasn’t just horseback riders and hikers who had something against the Tahoe Sierra 100 endurance mountain bike race: Mother Nature, in the form of a wildfire, also had something to say.

The race, using portions of the rugged Western States Trail over the Sierra, had been scheduled for Saturday.

The trail, once used by miners, is now the province of hikers, horsemen, runners, bikers and motorcycle riders. Connecting Squaw Valley to Auburn, it’s home to the Tevis Cup horse race and Western States 100 run. In both races, participants cover 100 miles in a single day.

Jim Northey, organizer of the bike race, envisioned the Tahoe Sierra 100 growing to the same stature as the horse and foot races and making Auburn the nation’s endurance race capital.

But in the face of opposition from a recently formed group called the Western States Safe Trails Alliance and without a permit to hold the race in hand, Northey canceled the event in early August.

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