Bikers ride to benefit Habitat for Humanity

One more climb, and it'll be downhill the rest of the way.

Thirty-four college students and recent graduates biked through Carson City on their way to San Francisco early Monday afternoon, a 4,000-mile trek that started two months ago in New Haven, Conn.

The group traveled about 88 miles through the Great Basin desert along Highway 50 east of Carson City on Monday.

"I thought the Nevada desert would be flat," said Mairin Burke with a smile.

The rest of the group, about six of the 34-person team, nodded in assent.

The group met at South Lake Tahoe, where they'll rest for a day before heading to Placerville, Davis and San Francisco, Calif.

This is the 10th year for this student-organized event, a 4,000-mile, transcontinental trek to benefit Habitat for Humanity. Each participant in the Habitat Bicycle Challenge had to collect a minimum of $4,000 in donations to participate.

A second group is biking along a more northerly route that leads to Seattle. The combined effort is expected to raise more than $200,000 for Habitat.