#CARMAGEDDON IS COMING!
This week in Los Angeles, the entire city is having a panic attack over a two-day closure of the 405 Freeway. Well, except for cyclists.
Even L.A.'s Mayor Villaraigosa is warning folks to "plan ahead, avoid the area, or stay home".
JetBlue Airlines even offered $4 non-stop flights from Burbank to Long Beach.
The city's cyclists, however, are a creative and resourceful bunch. I'm proud to be one of them.
What started out as a few jokes online among local cyclists and public transportation advocates on Twitter and Facebook, very quickly turned to action this afternoon.
As a result, this Saturday something awesome is about to happen.
The Wolfpack Hustle, one of L.A.'s most skilled and experienced cycling groups, is challenging JetBlue Airlines to a race from Burbank to Long Beach. Here's a time-line of how this all went down today via a series of status updates:
and I did.
and within not so many minutes.....
We're excited to announce that JetBlue has gracefully accepted the challenged and has offered me a seat on a flight from Burbank to Long Beach on Saturday. (Update: JetBlue has not explicitly endorsed the event.)
The JetBlue* flight departs from Burbank Airport Saturday July 16 at 12:20 PM.
I'll be onboard Tweeting, Instaggram-ing, and taking video of the flight, and we'll have a crew on the ground covering the race from door-to-door.
All riders will depart from the same location, the Burbank Airport, at the same time, and be required to follow all traffic laws.
Who will win?
More details to come as they develop. I hope you'll be following along!
***If you'd like to help out by Sponsoring the race, and ideally offering a prize for the riders if they win, please get in touch with either me or Roadblock of Wolfpack Hustle asap!
Please use the hashtag #FlightVsBike when discussing on twitter or tagging pics, video or related content around the web!
UPDATE (7/15 12:37PM PST): Ride rules and details (Subject to change, more details as they become available)
- Cyclists will depart from a residence near the intersection of Cahuenga and Chandler Blvd. in North Hollywood at 10:50 AM PST (Saturday, July 16) Flight Departs 12:20pm and we're basing the cyclists' departure time on the airline's recommended passenger arrival time of 1.50 hours before departure. (we're doing a little less to be fair)
- Cyclists will be required to follow all traffic laws.
- The finish line is the light house at the Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach (adjacent to Acquarium of the Pacific)
- Ezra and I will take a cab from LGB to the finish line courtesy of GaryRidesBikes
- FIRST TO ARRIVE AT THE LIGHT HOUSE WINS!
More details to come. Check back here, follow Twitter hashtag #flightvsbike and accounts @bikecommutenews @wolfpackhustle @ohaijoe @ezrahorne for more updates as they develop.
*Very special thanks to JetBlue for playing along :0)
This is awesome....my money is on the cyclists. I can't wait to see how it all goes down on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteDarryl
I'm very, very excited about this.
ReplyDeleteSO FREAKING EXCITED!
ReplyDeleteVery exciting, do you have any media coverage lined up?
ReplyDeleteOk, details, the flight departs at 12:20, but when do the cyclists depart? Is it the moment you set foot in the terminal at BUR and get in line at security to the time you hit the sidewalk in LGB? Or are we talking when the jet pushes from the gate at 12:20? Very cool idea. If it is from sidewalk-to-sidewalk, I choose the bike!!
ReplyDeleteWe're working on that and trying to make it as fair as possible.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like we're taking the recommended passenger arrival time from the airline and using that as a starting point for cyclists. I'll post updates as soon as they become available.
Go cyclists! Burbank airport in my experience can be one of the faster airports, but I still think the cyclists have a shot!
ReplyDeleteSo. Damn. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteCount on Action Wipes (www.actionwipes.com) for prizes!
ReplyDeleteSeems fairest to start both from a 'home', unless the cyclist actually lives at the airport, waiting for the taxi to show up and bring you to the airport is half the battle.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone contacted the media? This is a great story...event! It should be publisized beyond the cycling world. Madeleine
ReplyDeleteShouldn't you have to check a bag and wait for it to be unloaded and back in your hands? I always have cargo on my bike that I couldn't carry on.
ReplyDeletego Wolfpack,,,represent and be safe
ReplyDeleteGO WOLFPACK
ReplyDeleteAdam is right. Door-to-door is what matters.
ReplyDeleteSee the update:
ReplyDeleteUPDATE (7/15 12:37PM PST): Ride rules and details (Subject to change, more details as they become available)
Cyclists will depart from a residence near the intersection of Cahuenga and Chandler Blvd. in North Hollywood at 10:50 AM PST (Saturday, July 16) Flight Departs 12:20pm and we're basing the cyclists' departure time on the airline's recommended passenger arrival time of 1.50 hours before departure. (we're doing a little less to be fair)
Cyclists will be required to follow all traffic laws.
The finish line is the light house at the Shoreline Aquatic Park in Long Beach (adjacent to Acquarium of the Pacific)
Ezra and I will take a cab from LGB to the finish line courtesy of GaryRidesBikes
FIRST TO ARRIVE AT THE LIGHT HOUSE WINS!
Any info on route for cyclists?
ReplyDeleteGiven the timing, I wish someone was running the race by walking and taking Metro (Red & Blue lines) as well. A fast walker might well pull it off, if crosswalks and transfers go well...
ReplyDeleteAWESOME IDEA. GOOD LUCK WOLF PACK.
ReplyDelete"airline's recommended passenger arrival time of 1.50 hours before departure."
ReplyDeleteDamn, I think I could pull this off myself! The kicker being that the finish line is the lighthouse.
Can someone tell me what "LGB" means?
lgb is the airport code for long beach i think
ReplyDelete90 minute head start seems unfair (and unrealistic). I flew out of Burbank this week and showed up 50 minutes before my flight and still had PLENTY of time to make it through security. Given that this is the ultimate commuter flight, I think it is reasonable to expect a more aggressive check-in schedule. Wolf Pack should leave 1 hour prior to flight departure. Which should still be ample time to kick the plane's ass.
ReplyDeleteIf the airline states be there 90 mins before the flight, then it seems like the passangers need to abide by the "rules". Or the cyclist don't have to abide by the rules.
ReplyDeleteIt just seemed to me that door to door would have been the best way to handle the start and end. The question then becomes, which door? I would say the front entrance of the airports is about the fairest way you could do it, and for the most people.
Is this for the public as well?
ReplyDeleteCan they ride along too?
It's only for Wolfpackhustle riders at this point.
ReplyDeletehahahahahaha!!!!!
ReplyDeleteLike the public can't ride on the public streets and bike trails?????
r u freakin serious????
no wonder MR has seen drops in particpation of rides.
u guys are nuts!!!!!!
C'mon Wolfpack, you may as well prove the point properly and get some other types of cyclist out there as well. Looking at the route options and distance I'd easily beat a plane passenger over this sort of distance and I'm but a lowly audaxer. It's going to be no contest for an organised group.
ReplyDeleteGuess who won haaha wolfpack
ReplyDeleteWho won?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2011/07/16/cyclists-beat-jetblue-flight.html ...
ReplyDeleteDo we really want to travel in hermetically sealed popemobiles through the rural provinces of France, Mexico and the Far East, eating only in Hard Rock Cafes and McDonalds? Or do we want to eat without fear, tearing into the local stew, the humble taqueria's mystery meat, the sincerely offered gift of a lightly grilled fish head? I know what I want. I want it all. I want to try everything once. Cheap Flights to Kilimanjaro
ReplyDeleteSeems fairest to start both from a 'home', unless the cyclist actually lives at the airport, waiting for the taxi to show up and bring you to the airport is half the battle.Suspended license
ReplyDelete