Bikers beat flyers in 'Carmageddon' race

SAN DIEGO, July 17 (UPI) -- Bicyclists beat JetBlue airplane passengers in a race during "Carmageddon" in Los Angeles, officials say.

In light of San Diego's 405 freeway closure, JetBlue offered round-trip flights between Bob Hope and Long Beach airports, a nearly 40-mile drive, for just $4 Saturday as a way to beat traffic, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. The flights sold out about 2 hours after they were made available to the public at noon Wednesday.

The plane was in the sky for about 20 minutes and cruised at 5,000 feet, which is about 30,000 feet less than most commercial flights.

While most of the passengers took the flight for recreation, Joe Anthony and Ezra Horne took it to participate in a race with the cycling group Wolfpack Hustle, the Los Angeles Times reported. The bikers beat their airborne counterparts by 1 hour and 1 minute, including the time it took for the flight passengers to get through security and ground transportation to the lighthouse at Long Beach's Shoreline Aquatic Park.

Although they lost, the flyers were still happy and came to the realization that biking and public transportation can be viable options for many Los Angeles residents.

"You can get anywhere you need to be in Los Angeles by bike," Anthony said. "It's far easier than you can imagine."