California IN BRIEF : RIVERSIDE : Barstow-to-Vegas Cycle Race Vetoed
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has announced it will not permit the running of next year’s Barstow-to-Las Vegas off-road motorcycle race. The Mojave Desert race, the most popular amateur event of its kind in the world, was first run in 1967 and typically has drawn 1,200 riders. BLM officials have had trouble managing competitors in past races and believe the motorcycles could harm habitat occupied by the desert tortoise, a threatened species, said Gerald Hillier, the bureau’s desert district manager. This year’s race was canceled by its sponsors, prompting a protest ride Nov. 24 that resulted in 10 arrests.
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