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Something so "only in L.A." became something "only on Twitter" that could go down as one of the most brilliant spins on Carmageddon yet: Wolfpack Hustle, a local cyclists' group, has challenged JetBlue to a race. The riders, on the ground. JetBlue, in the skies. The journey, Burbank to Long Beach.
After learning that JetBlue was offering four flights between local airports in Burbank and Long Beach this Saturday as (publicity stunt) Carmageddon relief, New York-based author Tom Vanderbilt mused on Twitter that he bet a skilled cyclist could get from Burbank to Long Beach faster than their flights.
As Bike Commute news recaps, the whole thing played out on social networking status updates. Vanderbilt was joined by Gary Kavanagh (@GaryRidesBikes), and they reached out to JetBlue, who got (pun mostly intended) on board.
How will the race work? JetBlue is flying Joe Anthony (@ohaijoe) from Burbank to Long Beach, and he is the "opponent" of the Wolfpack in the air.
Here are the rules, as explained by Anthony:
* Cyclists will depart the Burbank Airport (exact location TBD - Likely an exit gate for vehicles) at 11:05 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 1.5 hours before departure. We're making it 1:15 before departure to be fair.
* Cyclists will be required to follow all traffic laws.
* The finish line is the entrance of the Long Beach Airport (LGB)
* [Fellow air traveler] Ezra and I will walk, or RUN, from the Jet Blue flight gate to the airport entrance to meet the cyclists.
* FIRST TO ARRIVE TO THE AIRPORT ENTRANCE WINS!
The flight takes off from BUR at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. Says Anthony: "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." You can follow along online, too; posts will be tagged #FlightVsBike.
Who do you think will win?
Ed. note: An earlier version of this story misstated that Vanderbilt was a local cyclist.
