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Straddling the borders of Nevada and California, the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range is a mountain biker’s dream. This summer on July 22nd at the Tahoe Trail 100 up to 1,000 participants will try, but only 70 to 100 extremely fit bicyclists will qualify for the big Race Across the Sky in the Rockies,  the culmination of races bringing top participants from Tahoe and the Leadville Race Series races around the nation together.

The Tahoe Trail 100 is one of six races in New York, Texas, Arizona, California and Colorado that culminate in a grand finale race on August 11, 2012. The California bike race  is 100 kilometers of beautiful trail views of Lake Tahoe, rocky summits and breathtaking pine forests  found in every direction from the host location of Northstar California.  With its own grandeur and beauty the Tahoe 100 is a stand-alone race event, but true mountain bike competitors hope to win this race and score a spot in the Leadville 100 in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. Like Northstar California, Leadville (an historic mining town 10,200′ above sea level)  opens its arms and hearts to the athletes and fans that converge each summer for the bike race.

Let’s face it–a 100km bike ride  is not for everyone! The Tahoe Trail event is approx. 60 miles of bike riding in mountains at base elevation of around 6,300 feet and mountain peaks towering around 8,600 feet. It’s not an easy ride for flatlanders accustomed to beach-cruise biking. To give you an idea of how long it takes, the race begins at 7 a.m. and there are Course Cut-Offs to assure that the event stays on pace. Planners are tentatively expecting that everyone should be finished within 8 hours.*  Due to the extreme nature of the race, points are not awarded in this USA Cycling sanctioned event.

Three cut-off times include:

Time Cutoff #1 – 9 a.m. (19.2mi / 31km)
Time Cutoff #2 – 11:30 a.m.  (37.3mi / 60km)
Time Cutoff #3 – 1:30 p.m.  (51.2mi / 81km)
*The time cut is TBD but is expected to be approximately 8 hours

Online Registration closes on July 18, 2012 at midnight. On-Site Registration will be available on Saturday, July 21  until 5 p.m.  Awards will be 3 deep in each division. Age groups are male/female in 10 year increments (20-29, 30-39, etc.) This is a Qualifier for the Leadville Trail 100.

Tahoe Trail 100 starts and finishes at Northstar California Resort, an ideal spot to spend a mini-vacation before or after the competition. Location: 5001 Northstar Drive Truckee, CA. Event registration: $95.  See info at:  www.leadvilleraceseries.com/tahoetrail

Here are more California bike events you can check out!