Wheels Gone Wild: Express Bike Contest Winners

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D.C. MIGHT JUST HAVE TO change its name to the District of Cycles. In honor of National Bike Month, we asked readers to send in photos of their beloved rides, and we were inundated with submissions. (Don't worry — we were wearing helmets.) Here's a collection of our favorite snapshots with some background info on their spokespeople.

RED-HOT RIDE
When D.C.'s Guillermo Gonzalez first saw a model of this Trek carbon race bike in a shop window, he drooled. Years later, he bought a heavily used version — it had survived several Ironman competitions — and slowly but steadily brought it back to life. "I give myself 25 cents per mile ridden to my bicycle rebuild fund," he says. Clearly, this beaut, nicknamed Enzo, has seen a lot of mileage.

PINK STREAK
There are plenty of reasons Capitol Hill's Randall Kling loves his Tour Easy recumbent: It's easy on his back, it reaches 54 mph, and its eye-catching spandex enclosure keeps him warm in the winter and cool in the summer. But what makes his wheels truly tops is they saved his life. After noticing a tightness in his chest while riding hard, he went to see his doc. It turns out he needed (and underwent) triple bypass surgery.

BEAT THE DRUM
Who needs a car to lug around a gigantic drum? Certainly not April Thompson, who's managed to live 36 years without ever owning a motor vehicle. It does help to have two baskets on her Trek hybrid, though. She can tie down her instrument to make the commute from Takoma Park to Dupont Circle. Oh, but you still want to know why she has it, right? Thompson plays in an all-female Brazilian percussion group, Batala.

REAPPEARING ACT
The owner of this bike would like to remain anonymous. But we've been given permission to share its story. Its life started when it was built from the frame up. Then, one fateful day in 2007, it was stolen. The owner took to the streets to get info, passed out fliers, trolled Craigslist and, with the help of other cyclists (and the Arlington police), got the bike back. "Her return represents that bikers in D.C. support each other — no matter what."

A FAMILY AFFAIR
Leading this foursome is Pat Childers, who works at the Environmental Protection Agency promoting clean transportation choices. It can't get much cleaner than his quadruple tandem, which carries his entire family, including two kids.

Scott Douglas of Capitol Hill is a similarly proud dad. He's outfitted a longtail cargo bike with a custom orange seat made by a furniture-crafting uncle. Douglas' two boys, ages 4 and 2, can just enjoy the ride or pretend they're helping by ringing the bell and holding on tightly.

TRUE COLORS
Not only has 28-year-old Meredith Begin traveled with her to the likes of New York City and Amsterdam, but Begin says her ride — nicknamed "Cash Money" — has earned her thousands of dollars and countless winnings in alleycat races and courier championships. "My baby helped me earn the title of track queen at the North American Cycle Courier Championships in Philadelphia in 2006," she says.

PRACTICING WHAT HE SEATS
In addition to writing the local Fixed in D.C. blog, Lucas Pierce straddles a pretty sweet fixed-gear ride. "She is covered in stickers of bands/shops/brands that I support, including D.C.'s DURKL, Cmonwealth, Rattler and Wale," he says.

STARRY-EYED SURPRISE
Thirty-two-year-old Lee Pera of D.C. won her pride and joy at a fundraiser for the nonprofit bike shop Phoenix Bikes. "They took an old bike and had it custom painted and added all sorts of little details like a bell and really cool arrow reflector," she says. "It's such a fun ride. I'm always smiling while riding this bike!"

A COOL RIDER
When James Di Loreto moved to D.C. in 1999 from South Florida, he sold his Ford Bronco and Yamaha motorcycle to pay for moving expenses. Within the year, he bought a 2000 Specialized Hardrock 17" mountain bike from City Bikes. He's logged more than 15,000 miles on it to date — including some on snowy roads. "My coldest winter ride, with the windchill factor, was minus 5 degrees," says the 39-year-old.

BOHEMIAN BIKING
You can find 20-year-old Mike Aloican cruising on his vintage 1980s Fuji Royale road bike along the Southwest waterfront to the east side of Petworth. "I converted [it] to single speed myself," he says.

CHAIN OF COMMAND
"I was cool before I had this bike," jokes Michael Sams, 46, of D.C. "However, the bike did make me cooler. Having been a courier and bicycle mechanic in a past life, I bought the components and put this beauty together. ... [I] swear I saw the president looking out of his window longingly at my bike."

MAKING A SMALL STATEMENT
Oscar Worthy of Northwest built his unique foldable bike from a surplus frame he bought off Craigslist. "It has gotten to be one of my favorites, and I ride it regularly," he says.