For well over a hundred years, people have hopped on bicycles for transportation, recreation, competition, and more. In many parts of the world, spinning pedals moves goods and generates electricity. While usually attached to two wheels, pedal power takes many forms, adapting to a wide range of needs. Globally, over 100 million bicycles are produced every year - over 60% of them in China - easily doubling world production of automobiles. Efficient, clean, and cheap, pedal power in all its forms can solve modern problems with basic technology, and offers a health benefit to those cranking away. And it's hard to beat the simple joy of riding a bike. Gathered here are images of people around the world as we pedal for a reason, or just because. --
Lane Turner (
49 photos total)

Congolese boys push a Chikudu (wooden bicycle) as they transport goods to the market of Mushaki, Democratic Republic of Congo on December 4, 2011. Chikudus are as much a source of local pride as they are a part of the local economy. Formal jobs are rare here, and crafting chikudus is a skilled and prestigious occupation. Chikudus are the brainchild of desperate improvisation. Before they overtook the dusty foot paths and rocky roads of eastern Congo, men carried produce to market in wheelbarrows. No one is certain when chikudus were invented, or by whom, but locals agree they appeared after independence from colonial Belgium in 1960. By then bicycles and motorcycles had reached Congo, and chikudu makers tried to replicate their functionality. (Simon Maina/AFP/Getty Images)
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One of many Velomobiles, recumbent bicycles with sleek, colorful outer shells, heads for the open road in Portland, Ore. on July 28, 2011. Twenty five riders rode to Washington D.C. to spread the message that sustainable, clean transportation can be fun. (Rick Bowmer/Associated Press)
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Cyclists take part in the "World Naked Bike Ride" in Sao Paulo on March 10, 2012. The event aims to defend the right of cyclists to ride on the streets in safety. (Nacho Doce/Reuters)
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Riders battle in a chariot race at Chariot Wars during a three-day Mini Bike Winter Olympics on February 18, 2012, in Portland, Ore. Armed, variously, with all manner of foam-padded apparatus, teams battled for the “Ben Hurt” trophy. (Rick Bowmer/Associated Press)
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