Saturday, July 16, 2011

Wolfpack Hustle to Race a Jet from Burbank to Long Beach

This is amazing. Big ups to Wolfpack. Great idea. P.S. Every day in Southern California is Carmageddon...:

Carmageddon: Bicyclists challenge JetBlue to crosstown race [Updated]

Can bicyclists beat JetBlue from Burbank to Long Beach on "Carmageddon" weekend?

A couple of bloggers have laid down that challenge to a bicycle group after learning JetBlue was offering $4 one-way plane tickets Saturday for the crosstown trip.

The cycle group known as Wolfpack Hustle will do the honors for the wheels against a JetBlue passenger plane. The cyclists are slated to take off at 10:50 a.m. Saturday from a home in Burbank.

Bicycle blogger Joe Anthony will take the 12:20 p.m. JetBlue flight from Burbank to Long Beach. The flight is scheduled to arrive in Long Beach at 1:05 pm.

Anthony is expected to make the finish line about 15 to 20 minutes later at the Long Beach Aquarium.

[Updated at 11 a.m.: “You have to remember, the passenger has to come from his house to the airport and then get from the plane to the Long Beach Aquarium," said a rider known as Roadblock from the Wolfpack Hustle. “Right now on Twitter, people think we can win. We beat a car down there a couple of weeks ago. That was from Silver Lake to Long Beach.”]

What began as a bunch of jokes on Twitter about bikers being able to beat JetBlue between bloggers Tom Vanderbilt @tomvanderbilt and Gary Kavanagh @GaryRidesBikes has evolved into a real-world race.

Roadblock says five riders will take up the Bike vs. Flight challenge.

Organizers say all participants must obey traffic laws, including the person driving Anthony to the airport.

The start of the race is timed so Anthony can arrive at the airport about one hour before takeoff.

That may be just enough time to give Wolfpack Hustle a sporting chance.

RELATED:

Full Carmageddon coverage

LAPD says no to parties, bike rides on 405

Carmageddon: Taiwanese animators poke fun at L.A.

-- Richard Winton

LA Times, July 15: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/07/carmageddon-bicyclists-challenge-jetblue-to-crosstown-race.html#more