128 miles. 12,000 feet elevation gain. 17-plus hours of exercise. 3 transit agencies. Add to that temperatures well into the triple digits in some places, and you’ve got the makings of a great story.
That’s about all you need to know to get an impression of how grueling the event known as Alt. Ride (formerly the Triple Threat) was this year. These crowd-sourced pictures from Saturday’s event give the impression that the several dozen riders who participated were having the time of their lives, in a make-it-or-break-it sort of way.
The event, sponsored by the Bay Area Open Space Council and Transit & Trails, is like Iron Man on a public transit agenda. Did you know you could bike up Mount Hamilton, Mount Tam, and Mount Diablo in one day, passing through six parks, without using a car?
Public transit isn’t just for people commuting to work, said Annie Burke, co-director of the ride.
“Riding 128 miles over 17 hours isnt for everyone,” Burke said. “But the parks that the ride goes through are for everyone. And the transit agencies that enable this ride are for everyone, too.”
So, just to prove that public transit and getting outdoors can be combined, here are some of the best pics from the event (note: attribution wasn’t on the website, but we’re happy to provide one).
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