We are collecting nominations for the Year-Round Golden Pedal Awards, Metro’s competition for great stories about bicycling. We’re featuring these stories in a monthly Why you Ride series because for many Angelenos, Bike Week never ends!

• Name: Kasia Bohos
• Origin and destination: From West Hollywood to Culver City
• Distance: Long commute (5 miles or more)
• Type of commute: Traffic-congested commute
• The commuter: Converted commuter (for new riders); chic commuter (riding with flair); and zealous commuter (encouraging others to try pedaling to school or work)

Thank you, Anna Martin of LA Brakeless bike shop, for nominating Kasia for the Golden Pedal Awards! Your participation is important!

Kasia seems to be having a fun time on her bicycle… Go Kasia!

When Kasia entered LA Brakeless about six months ago, she admitted to being a bike novice and was shy about her lack of knowledge. The bike shop staff set her up with an entry-level bicycle and the necessary accessories. A few weeks later, Kasia bounced back in and told them that she had started biking to and from work every day and was now barely using her car. Kasia said she had never felt better and was seeing things on her way to work that she had not noticed when she was driving.

Kasia was so excited about her new-found love of biking that she sent countless co-workers to the store and prompted her employer to put up a bicycle rack for employees in the parking lot. The staff at LA Brakeless nominated Kasia for a Golden Pedal because they love to see the lives of people in their community touched by cycling in such a positive way. In their own words, “Kasia was touched by cycling and spread that love to many, many people.”

With help from our generous Bike Week LA sponsors, Kasia will receive a Bike Week LA T-shirt, bike patch kits, ankle straps, bike maps, Metro Bike Guides, and “Every Lane is a Bike Lane” bumper stickers.

Click here to read more about Kasia’s cycling experience!