The “Why I Ride” Photo Contest was a great success this year. The quality and quantity of the nearly 300 photos and accompanying essays went well beyond our expectations. We found the entries both entertaining and a real source of inspiration to keep riding and sharing our story; we hope they did the same for you. Many thanks to everyone who participated!
Without further ado, here are your winners:
Grand Prize
Mitchell Connell
Runners-up
1st Runner-up — Boban James
2nd Runner-up — Mary Bernsen
3rd Runner-up — Danette Rivera
4th Runner-up — Glenn Budak
Honorable Mentions
Roger Bombardier Jr.
Jake Dean
Will Millhiser
Cecily Walker
Richard Wezensky
Readers’ Choice Award
Mary Bernsen
Our Grand Prize winner, Mitchell Connell, is a bike commuter and student at Hillsboro High School in Nashville, Tennessee. The camaraderie, nostalgia, and longing for the open road expressed in his photo, as well as his story about pragmatism and persistence, spoke powerfully to a number of the judges. Mitchell is the recipient of a Civia Midtown bicycle as well as 5 items of his choosing from the prize pool. Congratulations, Mitchell!
Grand Prize Winner — Mitchell Connell
My twin, Spencer, and I have grown up in a family full of ambition but lacking in commitment. The house that surrounds us is perpetually in a state of incompleteness with floorboards missing and exposed drywall, but through this we have developed both pragmatism and an enamorment for the completion of our goals.
Last summer we rode (with my best friend, Robert Fischman) from our hometown, Nashville, Tennessee to Natchez, Mississippi. After 462 miles and 9 days of leg throbbing persistence we arrived at our most exacting goal yet. This is a photograph of Spencer and Robert less than a mile from the end of the Natchez Trace.
—Mitchell Connell
It was a very close contest between the 4 runners-up. In the end, Boban James just edged out Mary Bernsen for second place with his haunting image of monks in a stark Indian landscape. Boban will receive a $400 gift certificate from Rivendell Bicycle Works as well as 5 items of his choosing from our prize pool. For her inspiring photo and poem, Mary will receive a $250 gift certificate from Rivendell as well as 4 items of her choosing from the prize pool.
1st Runner-up — Boban James
This picture was taken in the Himalayan region of Ladakh in India in 2005. We had rented bicycles and were visiting various monasteries near the capital city of Leh. Outside one such monastery, we came across a group of young monks in traditional robes. As soon as they saw our cycles, they thronged around us asking us questions about the bicycle’s mechanics and its speed (“will it go as fast as a car?”). In this picture, one of the more enterprising boys is about to push off for a ride, while his friends await their turn. That’s one of the reasons why I ride- because it’s a joy to be able to share your own love of cycling with others and hopefully that’s what this photo conveys.
—Boban James
2nd Runner-up — Mary Bernsen
Why I ride?
The view is different from the handle bars.
When my legs start moving, clarity of thoughts start flowing.
The busy pace of day-to-day is forgotten.
The senses begin to awaken.
The view is different from the handle bars.
I feel the chill of the morning, the heat of the mid-afternoon sun, and the breeze at night.
I smell the sweet scent of the flowers, the newly mowed grass and the wet pavement.
I hear the insects buzzing, the birds chirping, and the air whispering behind my ears.
The view is different from the handle bars.
Strangers become acquaintances and new friendship emerges.
Scenic locations are discovered and unknown paths are explored.
My soul rejoices as the sense of wonder waits in every turn.
The wind gently strokes my face, and a smile begins to form.
The view is truly different from the handle bars.
—Mary Bernsen
Danette Rivera took the 3rd runner-up spot with her fun photo and moving essay. Danette will receive a $100 gift certificate from Rivendell as well as 3 items of her choosing from the prize pool. And rounding out the top group is Glenn Budak with his moody image of a solitary, meditative cyclist. Glenn will receive a $100 gift certificate from NYCeWheels and 2 items of his choosing from the prize pool.
3rd Runner-up — Danette Rivera
When I was eight, I found forty dollars crumpled in the street. I immediately bought a silver spray-painted one speed with a banana seat. It was my prize. When I was ten, I sold colorful soap in a parking lot to make money because I wanted my mom to have a bike too. I thought, She can’t live without a bike. I saved enough for a magnificent metallic red Schwinn with drop handlebars that glowed in the shop window. I couldn’t imagine anyone not dying over this bike, but my mother never rode it; she was puzzled by my enthusiasm. So every month, I tried to reach the pedals of the red beauty until one night I could press them forward, top tube be damned. I rocketed down the street, flushed, screaming in my throat, lightheaded near the curb.
I ride because that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.
—Danette
4th Runner-up — Glenn Budak
One of the reasons I enjoy riding my bicycle is to be in the moment. I love when all the factors are just right and my bicycle disappears beneath me. In this meditative state I see beauty in the smallest things and everything about my world is good and right. My bicycle brings me peace of mind and comfort.
—Glenn Budak
The honorable mentions will each receive a prize package put together from the remaining items in the prize pool.
Besides taking 3rd overall, Mary Bernsen also took our hotly contested Readers’ Choice Award. Mary took 15% of the 1371 votes cast, with Danette Rivera coming in second. Mary will receive the Rickshaw Performance Tweed Collection from Rickshaw Bags, and Danette will receive an EcoVelo Houndstooth Wool Cap.
Congratulations to all the winners! We’ll be contacting you shortly about how to collect your prizes. And as always, when the time comes for a purchase, please consider supporting our sponsors; it’s their generous donations that make this possible!
View the Prize List →
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