London’s Bixi bikeshare bikes are, it turns out, becoming quite the world travelers. One has made its home in the Gambia. And another one got taken on a whirlwind tour of France for a jaunt up Mont Ventoux, one of country’s more challenging climbs.
The lucky bike met Matthew Winstone, Ian Laurie, and Robert Holden just before 4 a.m. one fall morning, when they checked the bike out, threw it in their car and headed across the English Channel towards the mountain. Atlantic Cities:
Setting out nearly 12 hours after they left London, Holden cycled for almost three grueling hours to make it up the 22 kilometer route, gaining more than 1,600 meters of altitude in the process. From their account of the day, it seems like the bigger obstacle to meeting the 24-hour deadline — and avoiding the £150 late fee — was probably all the driving, including a rainstorm and a close-call with the Eurotunnel.
But they made it back. With, Atlantic Cities reports, 22 seconds to spare.
