Lance Armstrong is the richest cheater to be stripped of a championship or Olympic medal for using performance-enhancing drugs. It isn’t even close.

A compilation of the 41-year-old American cyclist’s earnings by Bloomberg News, using public documents, interviews, court testimony and marketers’ comments, shows part of Armstrong’s business ventures and profit centers. Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A compilation of the 41-year-old American cyclist’s earnings by Bloomberg News, using public documents, interviews, court testimony and marketers’ comments, shows part of Armstrong’s business ventures and profit centers. A record seven-time Tour de France winner from 1999 to 2005 before being stripped of the titles by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in August, Armstrong made more than $218 million in a career he later told Oprah Winfrey was “one big lie.” He said he used testosterone, erythropoietin and blood transfusions.

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Peugeot may be failing in the car business, but it's still producing good stuff when it comes to bikes and scooters. At least when it decides combines the two.

This odd-looking thing is the Pibal, a hybrid to be produced for the bike share program in Bordeaux, France.

Designer Philippe Starck used ideas submitted online by the public to come up with a vehicle that can be used for cycling long distances, and for scooting along in slow traffic (with one foot pushing and the other on the platform).

It's a clever idea that makes cycling safer and more convenient, important in a city where 10 percent of trips are already taken on bikes.

The Pibal will be produced by Peugeot at its factory in Marne La Vallée, outside Paris.

A fleet of 300 will be available to Bordeaux residents for free, starting in June, according to TreeHugger.

SEE ALSO: The 20 Most Expensive Public Transportation Systems In The World

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José Palau, who worked as director of equity trading at Waverly Advisors with Andrew Barber, is making an aggressive bet on the fitness sector these days.

Right now, Palau, who has more than eight years experience in finance, is getting ready to launch Aura Fitness — a boutique fitness studio based in Los Angeles that specializes in indoor spinning and yoga. 

"We were managing a fund. I kind of had this, you know, life change where I wanted to start working in fitness and leave finance." 

An accomplished rock and ice climber, Palau, and his business partner, Maurizio Pelone, a professional swimmer and fitness trainer, will be launching Aura's flagship spin and yoga studios in West Hollywood this week.

Aura Fitness consists of two separate boutiques — Aura Cycle and Aura Yoga.  Aura Cycle offers an indoor cycling experience and Aura Yoga is heated yoga somewhat like hot yoga, but a little more active, Palau explained.

"The idea will be that our clients do both cycling and yoga, really focusing on the body, mind, building endurance, and toning up," he told Business Insider.

While this is a completely different industry from finance, Palau said that he brought a lot of the concepts that he learned on the Street, especially from trading, to this business.

What happened was originally Pelone — a close friend and pro swimmer from Italy — approached him about investing in Aura Fitness in March of 2012.

After doing some due diligence, Pelau realized he really loved it.  For him, Aura was a "life style change" he said, adding that he dropped close to 50 pounds and is now a lot healthier. 

"One of the things that I was able to apply from equity trading is understanding these shifts that you have within industries and new trends that are developing," he said. 

He said that working on Aura was like a really "aggressive bet into the sector."

He explained that their industry, which is the boutique fitness studio, is a subsector in the fitness industry has seen tremendous growth over the past couple of years. 

"It's almost like a new renaissance in fitness where people don't want to go to these big gyms anymore," Palau said, adding, "Instead, they're going these more specialized little communities which offer better experience because they're more focused on the activities they want, they get to interact with instructors a lot more and meet the people there."

He also noted that there aren't really that many boutique operators in the U.S. besides Core Power Yoga, Soul Cycle and a couple others. 

Palau and Pelone will start operating their own chain of boutique gyms in L.A. 

Palau, who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in finance and economics, was based in New York when he was working for Waverly. 

"You know I love trading," he said, adding, "The good thing about being on the west coast is I can wake up and have the market open."

He explained what it's like trading on the west coast versus the east coast.

Trading activity on the west coast is based around the open and the close — 6:30 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m.

"It's not that bad. In the morning, you're more refreshed even though it's three hours different. You think a lot better. It's really quiet." 

He said that working out can help tremendously with trading. 

"Working out, you will also find that, especially if you're more of an active trader, emotion is a big part, and when you are working out you are releasing all this energy. You're calm, you have endorphins. Instead of going to happy hour you're going to yoga and really balancing your life a lot more."

Since working on Aura, he admitted that he hasn't been trading as much. He told us that he intends to get back into trading after Aura launches. 

Palau said he's been really happy with his decision to work on Aura during the last year. 

"Finally seeing it actually come true is something that's great," he said, "One thing, I kind of realized is that doing this and entrepreneurship is really similar to trading. As a trader, one of my views is that you're getting paid to hold risk for other people, same thing in entrepreneurship." 

Now Watch: How Zumba Became The Biggest Fitness Brand In The World

SEE ALSO: 10 Ways It's Totally Different Being A Trader On The West Coast

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A few hours after registration opened on Monday for Citi Bike, New York City's new bike sharing system, 2,500 people had signed up.

Within a day, 5,000 had paid $103 for annual memberships, according to Transportation Nation, revealing enthusiasm for a program that should open for business next month, more than a year behind schedule.

Over the past decade, bike sharing systems have spread rapidly through cities around the world. There are nearly a dozen in the U.S., in cities from Minneapolis to Miami Beach.

The premise is simple: Bikes are parked at stations around the city, and members (who sign up for anything from a few hours to a year) can use them for a small fee.

A Success Story

Overall, the story of bike shares has been one of success. The upsides are obvious: City residents and visitors always have access to a healthy mode of transport for a small fee, and urban life and the environment benefit from the reduced need for cars.

A peer reviewed study published in the American Journal of Public Health last month found implementing a bike share program can increase cycling, which is, after all, the goal.

Bike share programs tend to be popular among users, who appreciate access to nearly free transportation.

On Yelp, Minneapolis's Nice Ride system averaged a four-star rating, based on 23 reviews. London's Barclays Cycle Hire had four stars, from 18 reviews. Bixi, in Montreal, had four stars, based on 44 reviews.

I spent a year living in France, a lot of it in Paris. I used its bike share, Velib, frequently: It's convenient and close to free. With 20,000 bikes at 1,800 stations (usually spaced about 300 meters apart), it was the best way to get home after a late night, since the Paris Metro closes around 1 a.m. and cabs are expensive.

The Cons

There are downsides as well, however. Bike shares are expensive to install and maintain. It's difficult to gauge interest beforehand and make sure the right number of bikes and stations are put into place.

Velib was a pain nearly as often as it was a breeze to use. Late at night, the bikes are mostly used to leave the city center, so finding a bike at 3 a.m. to do just that can be an exercise in frustration. I found plenty of bikes with flat tires, however.

The low point was the night I returned a bike without realizing it had not properly locked into the station. Someone later took it and never returned it, leaving me on the hook for the €150 deposit I had put down.

I lost a lengthy argument with a Velib employee along with my money, but took out a bike soon after. The system's upsides, in my view, outweigh its flaws.

That was not the case for SmartBike, the country's first commercial bike sharing program, which opened in Washington, D.C. in August 2008. It didn't work for a few reasons, Tom Vanderbilt wrote on Slate:

There were too few stations and bikes to form a meaningful and useful network. The system offered only long-term memberships, rather than offering short-term access via credit card. In fact, it didn’t take credit cards at all (so much for capturing the tourist market). Building stations took a lot of time and money.

Other systems have faced similar problems, despite their popularity. Montreal's Bixi program, which operates as a non-profit, needed a $108 million bailout from the city in May 2011.

Paris's Velib has long been plagued by vandalism. JCDecaux, the company that runs the system, repairs 1,500 bikes every day, according to the New York Times. Based on the number of bikes I used — or found and couldn't use — with flat tires or faulty brakes, even that was not enough.

Will It Work In NYC?

New Yorkers are cycling more than ever before, and the rush of early Citi Bike registrations is proof that there is plenty of demand for a bike sharing system in the city.

The chances of New York's new bike share being a success — success defined here as encouraging cycling at a sustainable price — depend on how Citi Bike is set up and funded.

A 2009 report by the NYC Department of City Planning found that small, underfinanced programs are the ones that fail.

The systems that work, like Velib and Capital Bikeshare, which replaced SmartBike in Washington, D.C. and is now the nation's largest program, are those that make sure the bikes are easy to use, and that the money is there to keep everything running.

Citi Bike will open with 330 stations, located in Manhattan south of 59th St and some Brooklyn neighborhoods. The map of planned stations shows one every few blocks, so users should never have to go far to find or return a bike.

If Citi's sponsorship of the program provides enough funding to keep those stations and bikes in working order, and the promised expansion to the rest of the city comes before long, New York could add a great bike share program to its list of accomplishments.

If not, Citi Bike is likely to go down as a costly failure.

SEE ALSO: 18 Brilliant Ways To End Gridlock And Save Billions

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We've all heard about the luxurious shuttle buses that transport Silicon Valley employees to and from San Francisco. 

But that's not the only way employees at top notch tech companies get around.

SF2G is a loosely organized group of bikers who commute together from San Francisco to their respective tech offices in Silicon Valley.

We first heard about the group thanks to Matt Sarnecki, who wrote a great piece on SF2G back in 2011.

"All of the original SF2Gers were passionate about cycling on their own and we all lived in San Francisco," Brett Lider, a Google employee and one of the original members of SF2G, tells Business Insider. "We were either driving, or taking Caltrain or using corporate shuttles to get to work. And I think it’s fine to use any of those transit methods a reasonable amount of time, but having to use them all the time was kind of wearing on us."

Every day, cyclists will "call" rides in a Google group to notify SF2G members where they plan to meet, the ride distance, speed, and difficulty level. Depending on how fast you ride, the journey can take anywhere from one and a half to three hours.

On any given day, there are anywhere between two and four rides leaving San Francisco. The number of people who show up to each ride vary, but Lider says a regular weekday ride could have up to 20 or 30 people. 

Lider has been doing the ride for about eight years now. He says there are three main things that keep him feeling rewarded and coming back: the sense of community, the environment, and the health benefits on both the physical and psychological level.

"The psychological benefits are really kind of profound in terms of getting to work under your own power," Lider says. "Having accomplished something really tangible before you step into the office is very calming to me and kind of puts things in perspective, and allows me to be a more centered person in my work day."

SF2G began in 2005 when Scott Crosby joined Google. Since then, it has grown to more than 2,000 subscribers. To be clear, these aren't just Google employees. They work at various companies including Facebook, Oracle, Apple, Intuit, and even Stanford Hospital.

With Bike to Work Day coming up on May 9, SF2G is expecting about 400 or 500 people. If you want to join them, they'll be leaving from 24th and Mission Plaza in San Francisco. Head on over to SF2G to learn more.

SEE ALSO: Silicon Valley Tech Cos Are Desperately Trying To Conceal How Many Minorities They've Hired

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Riding a bike in the city seems dangerous to some, but Richie Trimble of Los Angeles makes it a significantly scarier process.

The seat of his creation, the Stoopid Tall Bike, is 14.5 feet above the ground.

Trimble spent 12 hours building the bike for CicLAvia 2013. For the regular LA event, streets are closed to car traffic, and people are encouraged to walk, bike, and have fun in the road.

Watch Richie's vertigo-inducing ride through Los Angeles:

SEE ALSO: China And The US Have Very Different Stereotypes For The Same Cars

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[Editor's note: Copenhagenize is a consulting and communications company that specializes in all things cycling-related. The company gave Business Insider an exclusive first look at its new ranking of the world's most bike-friendly cities.]

There are lots of cities where it's good to be a cyclist, but some are truly two-wheel paradises.

The newly released Copenhagenize Index 2013, produced by the Copenhagenize Design Co., ranked 150 cities around the world on 13 parameters, including cycling facilities, culture, sharing program, gender split, politics, and traffic calming.

It also gave bonus points for categories like political leadership.

Here are the top 20 cities, each with a score out of 100 points.

The list starts at number 14, since there are a few ties.

14. Hamburg, Germany

Score: 54

2011 Rank: 13

Why It Works: The Index always offers up surprises. More often than not it is when cities show up on the list. To be honest, we were surprised that Hamburg made the cut and clung onto the last spot in the Top 20.

In a global perspective, Hamburg is a premier league player, no doubt about it. The city's modal share has been steady and is slowly rising. The citizens are returning to the bicycle, especially in the neighborhoods.

The city's planners haven't really realized that it's a new millennium and much of their infrastructure is sub-standard. But it's there. Ready to form the foundation for more, better protected cycle tracks.

Fixes: If Hamburg gets the right political leadership, the city will blossom as an urban cycling paradise. The need for infrastructure that adheres to best practice is becoming more and more apparent.

The 20th spot on the Copenhagenize Index is a fragile position to be in what with so many other cities making impressive efforts and eager to move up the list. Get with the global programme or get left behind. You're snuggled in between Copenhagen and Amsterdam.

Figure it out.

Scoring: Cities were given between 0 and 4 points in 13 categories, with a potential 12 bonus points for particularly impressive efforts or results, for a maximum of 64 points. The final score was adjusted to be out of 100. Categories included advocacy, bicycle culture, cycling facilities, infrastructure, bike share program, gender split, modal share, modal share increase since 2006, perception of safety, politics, social acceptance, urban planning, and traffic calming. See the full index at Copenhagenize.

13. Paris, France (tie)

Score: 55

2011 Rank: 7

Why It Works: The second global mega-city on the list after Tokyo, Paris continues to impress. If every city had political vision like Paris, regarding liveable cities, the world would be a better place.

Paris has left London and New York in the dust over the past six years. In particular, New York is making efforts to catch up, but Paris' commitment to improving conditions for Citizen Cyclists remains strong.

The city's bike share system remains a success and an impressive number of stretches feature bicycle infrastructure.

With 30 km/h zones and the removal of archaic expressways along the river, bicycle traffic will benefit. The fantastic role of the bike share system in the nightlife shows that the citizens are embracing the bicycle for all purposes. Nobody would have thought that Paris could have done all it has done but the city continues to pinch us to tell us we're not dreaming.

Fixes: Planners have been searching for space for bicycle infrastructure and Paris has some unique solutions. They are, however, solutions that are not sustainable in the long run.

It's time to up the stakes and go after a more permanent solution with the creation of more protected cycle tracks. The success of the bike share system is impressive but better maintenance is required, as well as increasing the number of stations at both transport hubs and popular nightlife neighborhoods.

Scoring: Cities were given between 0 and 4 points in 13 categories, with a potential 12 bonus points for particularly impressive efforts or results, for a maximum of 64 points. The final score was adjusted to be out of 100. Categories included advocacy, bicycle culture, cycling facilities, infrastructure, bike share program, gender split, modal share, modal share increase since 2006, perception of safety, politics, social acceptance, urban planning, and traffic calming. See the full index at Copenhagenize.

13. Budapest, Hungary (tie)

Score: 55

2011 Rank: 10

Why It Works: Budapest continues to build upon the successes of the past few years, although we fear the pace may have slowed. The city's force remains visionary advocacy and the social acceptance of the bicycle.

One of the leaders among Emerging Bicycle Cities, Budapest is getting it's brain wrapped around infrastructure and development of a sensible network for bicycle users.

A city that can gather 50,000-80,000 for peaceful bicycle rides has some golden opportunities that can and must be exploited.

Fixes: Like every other city on the planet, it's all about the infrastructure. The city has brilliant advocacy, but it is now time to push for more protected cycle tracks. Paint ain't the same.

Budapest is a regional leader in bicycle culture but without political will and a modern desire for mobility change, their role will be overtaken by others. The upcoming bike share system, if implemented correctly, will be a game-changer for the city.

More infrastructure should be in place before the bike share system starts up.

Scoring: Cities were given between 0 and 4 points in 13 categories, with a potential 12 bonus points for particularly impressive efforts or results, for a maximum of 64 points. The final score was adjusted to be out of 100. Categories included advocacy, bicycle culture, cycling facilities, infrastructure, bike share program, gender split, modal share, modal share increase since 2006, perception of safety, politics, social acceptance, urban planning, and traffic calming. See the full index at Copenhagenize.

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The 2013 Copenhagenize Index of the world's most bike-friendly cities is out, and not a single American metropolis made the top 20.

That's a problem — and not just a health-related one, said Mikael Colville-Andersen, CEO of Copenhagenize, the consulting and communications company that published the Index.

By failing to embrace cycling culture, American cities are losing out on significant financial benefits, Colville-Andersen told Business Insider. Studies show that every kilometer cycled in Denmark earns the country €.23 (partly because cyclists have been shown to spend more money in local stores), he said.

And even with significant taxation of automobiles, every kilometer driven in Denmark costs the country €.16.

The problem in the U.S. is all about perception, said Colville-Andersen. Many commuters see cycling as a form of exercise, not convenient transport, and cities are still being built around automobiles.

How Americans See Cycling

Americans often perceive cyclists as extreme athletes. 

Colville-Andersen said that if he tells someone in an American bar he is a cyclist, "they're gonna conjure up images of me in very tight-fitting man made fibers, going for a hundred-mile ride on a Saturday ... For North Americans, that's what a cyclist is."

Compounding that image, Colville-Andersen argued, is the fact that many advocates for cycling in the U.S. are intense cyclists, and risk scaring off casual bike riders.

"It's like having race walkers doing the talking for pedestrians," he said. "It's great that they love cycling, but it's not a very effective marketing technique."

That view of biking as exercise, instead of transport, fuels the concern that cyclists will arrive at the office sweaty, without a way to clean off.

A common fix by American workplaces that want to encourage cycling is to install showers. The New York City Department of Transportation even gives an annual award for General Bicycle Friendly Workplace, which is partly judged on whether showers and lockers are provided in the office.

But this idea — that cycling to work is dependent on the ability to shower upon arrival — is another manifestation of the cycling-as-exercise image.

Workplaces in Copenhagen don't provide showers — and people who live there don't understand why Americans feel they are necessary, Colville-Andersen said.

In the Danish capital, which came in at number two on the Copenhagenize Index, cycling is not a way to burn calories. It is simply a "fast form of pedestrianism," and the quickest way to get around.

It's about convenience, more than personal health or fighting global warming.

However, even biking slowly in a city like New York, where the summers are hot and humid and the bridges are steep, can leave one sweating. American standards of hygiene tend to be more demanding than those in Europe, and sweating at one's desk is usually frowned upon.

How Americans Treat Cyclists

Even if more Americans wanted to cycle to work, the infrastructure isn't there for them. In the U.S., planners and engineers are "incredibly stuck in the last century paradigm of 'cars are the only transport form that we plan for,'" Colville-Andersen said. "We've forgotten that the bicycle used to be a form of transportation."

Many U.S. cities are working to improve cycling infrastructure, but don't always do so intelligently. Bike lanes are often placed to the left of parked cars, putting cyclists between moving traffic and doors that can open at any time.

"This doesn't keep cyclists safe," Colville-Andersen said, calling the setup a "brain fart."

Asked if changing the infrastructure of American cities built in the age of the automobile, unlike older European cities, is especially difficult, Colville-Andersen said no: "It's the same challenge. No difference. Copenhagen, for example, is a 20th century invention outside the medieval city center, all built since 1900."

Given the massive width of car lanes in the U.S., it might even be easier to find space for bicycles and protected lanes in American cities, he said.

In a recent post on the Copenhagenize blog, he expanded on this idea:

I tire of hearing the incessant "we don't have space for bicycles" whine, especially in North American cities. The space is right there if you want it to be there. Removing car lanes to create cycle tracks is, of course, doable. So many cities are doing it. Not making cycle tracks for those who cycle now, but for the many who COULD be cycling if it was made safe.

So how to make cycling convenient and safe? Bike share programs are a good place to start, Colville-Andersen said. Once in place, they demand improved infrastructure, and give people an easy, affordable way to try out life on a bike.

American cities don't need to reinvent the wheel, they just need to copy what the cities that did make the Copenhagenize top 20 are doing. If biking can be presented as a convenient way to get around — one that also offers financial and health benefits — the cyclists will come.

SEE ALSO: The 20 Most Bike-Friendly Cities In The World

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Though the U.S. has seen a 40 percent growth in bicycle commuters since 2000, their numbers have yet to surpass 1 million. In contrast, there are 204 million personal vehicles on the road on a given day.

That's a shame.

Not only does biking to work have the potential to improve individuals' health, wealth, and standard of living, but the combination of more cyclists and fewer cars on the road could give the entire country a much-needed boost. 

It would make cycling safer for everyone.

Much unlike cars, the more bicycles on the road, the safer it becomes for cyclists, research shows. 

"It's a virtuous cycle," Dr. Julie Hatfield, an injury expert from UNSW, says.

"The likelihood that an individual cyclist will be struck by a motorist falls with increasing rate of bicycling in a community. And the safer cycling is perceived to be, the more people are prepared to cycle."

It is vastly cheaper than driving.

Due to rising fuel costs and tire upkeep, the cost of owning a car increased nearly 2 percent in 2012 to $8,946, according to AAA. 

It costs just $308 per year to keep bikes in shape––nearly 30 times less than cars, according to the Sierra Club:

"If American drivers were to make just one four-mile round trip each week with a bicycle instead of a car, they would save nearly 2 billion gallons of gas. At $4 per gallon, total savings would be $7.3 billion a year."

It's a free gym on wheels.

On average, bicycle commuters lose 13 pounds in their first year of cycling alone.

"[Bike commuting] can be a very effective cardiovascular benefit," says Lisa Callahan, MD, of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.

"If you're overweight and start an exercise program, sometimes it's harder on your joints because you are overweight ... so something like swimming or biking that's not pounding on the joints can be a good thing." 

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This is part of our series, "50 Women Who Are Changing The World." Janette Sadik-Khan ranked #8 on the list.

In her six years as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, Janette Sadik-Khan has made a lot of changes.

Those changes are all aimed at her goal of making it easier and safer to get around in New York, and to make the city a better place for residents and businesses, she wrote in a 2011 essay for Slate.

Sadik-Khan manages a $2 billion annual budget and 4,700 employees. She is in charge of maintaining and improving 6,300 miles of road, nearly 800 bridges, 12,000 intersections with traffic signals, and the Staten Island Ferry.

(Governance of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which runs public transit in New York, falls outside her purview.)

In her tenure, Sadik-Khan has focused on reducing the number of cars on NYC streets. She has built hundreds of miles of bike lanes, introduced a new bike share program, created pedestrian plazas, transformed Times Square, and installed maps designed for those on foot — all while making New York a healthier, richer place.

New York has hundreds of miles of new bike lanes.

Between 2007 and 2011, the number of New Yorkers commuting by bicycle doubled, meeting a DOT goal ahead of schedule.

To triple that number by 2017, Sadik-Khan has led the installation of 200 miles of bike lanes on streets throughout New York, providing a relatively safe way for cyclists to get around.

The bike lanes have aroused plenty of criticism, largely from neighborhood groups. At a 2011 event at the Center for Architecture, Sadik-Khan defended the expansion as a public good: 

“Some people have tried to paint bike lanes as elitist, which is really hard to believe because [the bicycle] is the most affordable way to get around town other than walking, and it’s really heavily used by a wide range of social and ethnic groups."

There are guards on duty to keep everyone where they belong.

On the eve of the opening of New York's bike share program, Sadik-Khan announced that its Street Safety Managers — who first went to work on the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges in 2011 — will be on duty in areas with heavy pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicular traffic.

Their job is to remind everyone to stay in their designated lanes. They will be on the streets during morning and afternoon rush hours between April and October.

Neighborhood traffic is slower, and safer.

In July 2012, Commissioner Sadik-Khan and Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced they would expand the Neighborhood Slow Zone program to 13 new residential areas, all at the request of local applicants.

The program adds traffic calming measures and reduces the standard speed limit from 30 mph to 20 mph, which Sadik-Khan said would improve safety:

“Our residential streets need to be drawn to this human scale, and by simply reducing the speed of passing cars by 10 miles per hour, we can save lives as we make the streets people walk along more inviting.”

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Minneapolis hosted the 39th Annual MayDay Parade on Sunday, attended by tens of thousands of people who come to see the eclectic mix of marching bands, huge puppets, groups walking for progressive causes, and a whole lot of bikes.

We were in the area for the parade, and were especially impressed by this "float," which Flickr user Nancy Sims identified as the work of local pro-cycling group Bicycle Anarchy. 

The incredible contraption was powered by about ten people pedaling, who were pulling a full band performing on a caravan of sorts, along with a grill being used to cook large chunks of meat.

Attached to that was an actual skateboard half-pipe, being used by half a dozen people.

Check out the photos:

Head to Nancy Sims's Flickr page for a video of Bicycle Anarchy in action.

We also appreciated this smaller parade entry, and the man who hooked up a dog to pull him along the route.

SEE ALSO: The 20 Most Bike-Friendly Cities On The Planet

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Bike share is finally coming to New York City.

On May 27, 6,000 bikes at 330 stations will become part of NYC's already extensive transportation system.

Memberships (available to those 16 and over) can be purchased for 24 hours ($9.95), one week ($25), or a year ($95). You can take out a bike from and return it to any station.

To start, the stations will be in Manhattan below 59th Street, and in Brooklyn neighborhoods DUMBO, Fort Greene, Clinton, Brooklyn Heights, and parts of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

The program will change the look of the city, and it will also change a lot of people's lives, whether they know it or not.

Many people — cyclists and others — will benefit.

Others will lose out.

So, if you fall into any of these categories, here's what to expect.

The Winners

People who already bike in New York: While a glut of possibly inexperienced bikers could clog up existing bike lanes, the greater presence of cyclists will fuel the continued expansion of NYC's bike lane network. You'll be safer, too.

People who would like to bike, but don't want to make a big investment:Citi Bike lowers the entry bar for those who want to reap the health benefits of cycling, but don't have a few hundred dollars to spare and a safe place to keep a bike.

For $95 a year, you have a bike wherever you want it, whenever you want it, and you never have to worry about having it stolen.

People who are visiting NYC and want to move around on the cheap — while still seeing the sights: Riding the subway is a quintessential New York experience, but it's not a good way to see the city.

If you have $25 to spare, get a week-long pass and spend your time in the Big Apple biking around, and be the tourist you want to be. Do keep your eyes on the road, though.

People who own property in NYC: Co-op residents who believe Citi Bike Stations are hurting their property values might be surprised by a study by the National League of Cities that found that a bike share program "boosts retail exposure and home values."

People who stay out late and don't want to pay for a cab home: Sure, the subway runs 24 hours a day. But at 4 a.m., trains are few and far between. The middle of the night is also a great time to bike with fewer cars around.

Note: Citi Bike rules forbid cycling while intoxicated.

People who use public transportation: More bikes means more people biking, which means less crowded subways and buses. Good for you.

People who care about the deficit: Sky-high health care costs are a major driver of the national deficit. A 2010 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found "the estimated health benefits of cycling were substantially larger than the risks relative to car driving"— even taking into account the risk of accidents.

Better health, less healthcare spending. That's a nice benefit for a program that's run purely on private money.

The Losers

Street vendors: Here, you may lose out: some food carts are likely to lose their regular spots to new bike stations. But if you can relocate nearby, you could benefit from more foot traffic and potential customers who have worked up an appetite cycling.

People who don't have a credit or debit card: All membership plans require a Visa or MasterCard, and there's no way to get a bike without one.

People who are under 16 or over 260 pounds: Sorry, you're not allowed to use Citi Bike, though the weight limit probably won't be enforced.

People who drive in New York City: There will be fewer cars between you and where you're going, but you will have to be more aware of cyclists on the road.

Even though the 330 initial stations won't take up too many of the more than 80,000 metered parking spaces in New York City, some will disappear, and they'll be in areas where parking is already sparse.

As Sommer Mathis of The Atlantic Cities notes, the city has made a conscious and public decision to prioritize cycling over driving. Time to face reality.

SEE ALSO: The 20 Most Bike-Friendly Cities On The Planet

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The other day, something happened in Chicago that made bicycling a little more boring.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced an ordinance that would double the fine for “dooring” a cyclist.

Motorists who open their doors into the path of a person riding a bicycle, one of the most dangerous hazards that bike riders face, would have to pay $1,000. This is good. Dooring kills people, like Neill Townshend.

At the same time, Emanuel proposed increased fines for cyclists who break the law, bringing them from $25 up to $50–$200. This is also good.

It was a move that the Chicago Sun-Times referred to as "even-handed." And at least one major element of the bicycling community perceived it the same way. "Too often we see people on foot, on bikes and driving cars traveling recklessly," wrote Ron Burke, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance, Chicago’s largest and oldest cycling and pedestrian advocacy group. "Active Trans supports increased traffic fines as an important way to improve safety (along with better education and infrastructure)."

Not that there isn’t disagreement in the city’s bicycle community. In fact, if you want to read what is commonly referred to as a "lively debate" on the issue, look no further than the pages upon pages of comments on The Chainlink forum in response to the Sun-Times story.

Some people commenting are mad. The ordinance should have included a provision for "Idaho stops" that would have allowed cyclists to slow at stop signs and red lights before cruising on through! Cars cause more damage when they hit people than bikes do! It isn’t fair!

But here’s the thing: A lot of other people agreed with the ATA position, saying things like this:

The core of the "scofflaw cyclist" is not reckless endangerment of oneself, requiring protection by some nanny-mayor to keep you from killing yourself.  It's the selfish, dickish rudeness of those who ride through stop signs like Mr. Magoo at the expense of people in all directions -- other cyclists, people in the cross walk, and drivers who are waiting their turn -- that makes it very hard for the people doling out the cash for the bike lanes and bike share to quiet the critics.

What’s happening in Chicago is the same thing that’s happening in cities all over the country: Bicycling is becoming mainstream. According to the city’s figures, 20,000 people now ride their bikes to work in downtown Chicago on a regular basis. That’s up 200 percent since 2005.

In New York, it’s the same story. Bicycles are now a routine form of transportation for tens of thousands of people. The bike commuting rate doubled between 2007 and 2011. In San Francisco, bikes made up 66 percent of inbound traffic on Market Street in a recent count – and it wasn’t "bike to work day," when the share rose to 76 percent.

When bike-share hits New York City later this month, biking is only going to get more quotidian, as it has in other bike-share cities such as D.C. or Minneapolis. Sorry, haters, but that’s reality now.

Riding a bike in the United States has long been perceived as a statement. Being a bicyclist has been an identity, burdened with its own identity politics. The cyclist as renegade, outsider, maverick, or outlaw – that has been the image, or self-image, depending on where you stand on the "issue" of cycling.

But in the last couple of years, we have been moving at an almost imperceptible pace toward a different kind of reality – one in which American cities, from Chicago to Miami to Los Angeles to Boston and back around again — have been building bike infrastructure, implementing bike-share systems, passing laws protecting bicyclists, and the like.

And biking is slowly, slowly becoming just another way to get around.

The flip side is that in places like Chicago, they have also been ticketing bicyclists for violating laws. In New York, the Department of Transportation has deployed safety officers on busy bike routes to remind people of the right way to ride. Ticketing blitzes seem to be happening more regularly.

This is what has to happen for things to get to the next level.

In New York, the city where I live and ride and walk and drive (which, yes, I do sometimes), cycling manners remain appalling, despite advocacy campaigns like “Biking Rules” to change that.

Take as an example Court Street in Brooklyn, a hundred feet from my front door. I walk up and down this busy street several times a day, and on almost every trip I see people riding their bikes against the one-way traffic. It’s stupidly dangerous for them, for other cyclists who are riding with the traffic, for pedestrians, and for drivers of motor vehicles who might be forced to swerve to avoid a crash.

If every single one of those people got a ticket every time they tried this nonsense, I would be thrilled.

(My one caveat is that I’m concerned about enforcement being disproportionately aimed at young men of color and becoming part of the stop and frisk problem.)

I am truly sick, at this late date, of people wanting to have it both ways: calling for protected bike lanes and a bike-share system, demanding that cops step up enforcement when it comes to cars, and then blithely salmoning up a major thoroughfare and expecting everyone look the other way.

It makes all of us look terrible and it’s a real hazard. Same goes for blowing through a stop sign or red light, or blocking the crosswalk when you’re impatiently waiting for the light to change. Not to mention shouting at pedestrians to get out of the way when they are crossing legally. I saw someone yell at an old lady the other day. Seriously?

Have I ever done these things? Well, not all of them. I have never been a wrong-way rider, and I don’t yell at small children and older people who impede my relentless forward motion. But I plead guilty to riding through lights and blocking crosswalks in the past. I need to do better.

I am trying to see myself as an ambassador for bicycling and to break the bad habits I formed over years of biking on streets designed solely for cars. If I am going to fight back against the forces that want to intimidate and marginalize me when I am on my bike, I think that riding as squeaky clean as possible is my best strategy these days.

The balance has shifted, and with the advent of bike share, modeling good behavior is going to be more vital than ever. Not just to prove the naysayers wrong, but also to be truly safer riders.

Does obeying the law mean that you will reach your destination more slowly? Yes. Over long distances, it can even add a significant amount of time to your trip. Get over it. Plan for it.

Is it fair if bikers get tickets when motorists don’t? Nope. You know what else isn’t fair? Everything. Deal with it.

There is a price to be paid for trying to move beyond the life-threatening rodeo days of cycling in major American cities. It’s called civic responsibility. Playing by the rules. Making nice.

Whatever you want to call it, it may mean that you’re going to have to give up your identity as a special person who does some special activity known as cycling.

You’re not so special any longer, just another regular part of the urban landscape. And that means you’re going to have to find another way to set yourself apart from the crowd. A bike just won’t do it anymore. And that’s just great.

Sometimes, being boring is a good thing.

More From The Atlantic Cities 
You Don't Have To Be Superhuman To Commute By Bicycle
Vote For Your Favorite City-Changing Bike Proposal
Would You Use This Weird Bike Loop?

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SEE ALSO: The 20 Most Bike-Friendly Cities On The Planet

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A coffee shop's rude sign dissing one of the biggest bike races in the U.S. has incensed the cycling community. 

A source sent us a photo of the sign, which was posted at Joe Momma's Coffee in Avila Beach, California ahead of the Amgen Tour Of California coming to town: 

Since the sign was posted two days ago, dozens of cycling supporters have blasted the business on Yelp. 

"I will never step foot in that coffee shop again. To be so rude to events that bring so much to our community ($$ from extra tourism, taxes, and other fees the tour pays the county in permits)...Yes it will be insane for a day but it will bring more money to the local economy," wrote user Anna D. on Yelp

"To post a sign like that (with horrible grammar might I add) is just bad business practice," Anna D. added. 

It's estimated that 2 million people watch the Tour Of California, an eight-day event that draws professional athletes from around the world.

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It's safe to assume that most people in the event of hitting a cyclist while driving, who realised what they had done, would stop, call the police, and stay on the scene.

Not so for one young woman, who appears to have hit a cyclist, carried on driving, and then most bizarrely taken to Twitter to boast of the incident.

@emmaway20 Emma Way
Definitely knocked a cyclist off his bike earlier – I have right of way he doesn't even pay road tax! #bloodycyclists

Norwich Police responded quickly, asking Emma to get in touch with them as soon as possible, and report it, rather than broadcast it to the world.

@emmaway20 we have had tweets ref an RTC with a bike. We suggest you report it at a police station ASAP if not done already & then dm us

— Norwich Police (@NorwichPoliceUK) May 19, 2013

Way has since deleted her Twitter account, after cyclists on Twitter roundly turned on her, especially once a cyclist came forward who had been hit by a car that didn't stop shortly before Way's missive. Toby Hockley, who'd been riding the Boudicca Sportive with the Iceni Velo club, came forward after seeing the fallout on Twitter. Both parties are now in contact with the police, Norfolk constabulary have confirmed.

What her statement says about hierarchy on our roads is just as interesting as watching social media close the net around someone claiming to have injured a cyclist. For starters there's the tiresome fact that, as every cyclist knows, road tax doesn't exist– you pay vehicle excise duty for your car, and road maintenance is funded from centralised taxes.

Yet, the canard of "road tax" as an annual toll for using roads is rolled out time and again by motorists annoyed at the mere presence of bikes on the road. The fact that cyclists seemingly "don't pay" to use roads, then overtake motorists in traffic jams rankles, is burned deep in the minds of our more irrational drivers.

This internalised hierarchy on the roads is also evident as a pedestrian – it's not uncommon to be crossing a road when the lights have turned amber and have cars race off narrowly avoiding you, or for cars to ignore the fact you've stepped onto a zebra crossing for the sake of shaving a few seconds off their journey. But cyclists seem to bear the brunt of this – few cyclists don't experience regular outbursts of road rage, or dangerous driving from motorists who've clearly clocked them but are simply unhappy they're allowed on the road at all.

I've been told to "pay road tax" more times than I can remember, though sadly explaining the intricacies of road taxation – deftly explained by the excellent site I Pay Road Tax– takes longer than the few seconds you get on the road. And when this entitlement dehumanises cyclists to the extent someone is happy to excuse hitting a cyclist by explaining they don't believe they should be on the road at all, it becomes more than an annoyance – it's an active danger.

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

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Lance Armstrong took to Twitter this morning to criticize cyclist Danilo Di Luca for doping.

Di Luca tested positive for EPO and was immediately fired from his team this morning.

Armstrong responded with this tweet:

Armstrong seems to acknowledge the irony here.

Armstrong had all his titles stripped and was banned from the sport for doping his way through his cycling career.

In an interview with Oprah, he implied that he cheated because that was the only way to win.

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On Saturday, I biked in the Xtreme Biker's Association's 14th annual "Xtreme Bike to the Shore"— a 78-mile charity ride from Philadelphia to Avalon, New Jersey.

The Memorial Day weekend Saturday ride is popular among the financial services crowd, too.

I met a bunch of cyclists from private equity firms, hedge funds, and investment banking.  There were a couple who could probably give Dan Loeb and Bill Ackman a run for their money on their bikes. 

I've never been on a road bike in my life. I can't even remember the last time I was on a bike before this ride.  

But the ride was for a great cause: It helped raise funds for Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School, a brand new, independent, Catholic college prep school for students of all faiths who cannot otherwise afford a private education.

I've included highlights from my trip in the slides that follow, as well as some tips.  

We convened at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the start of the race. The temperature was in the high 40s so I had to dress in layers. I'm really glad I did, too.

These were the only 'bike shorts' I had. I liked that they were bright so the traffic could see me, but I made the huge mistake of not having padding. Padding is crucial for long-distance rides. Period.

Before the start, everyone gathered around this van for directions. The van trailed the pack of cyclists to help out anyone in need.

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Bike share finally opened for business in New York City on Monday, and members had taken more than 6,000 trips before the end of the afternoon.

Long-awaited and oft-delayed, Citi Bike has been mostly well-received so far, despite an early problem delivering key fobs to annual members on time.

6,000 bikes are available for short-term rental at 330 stations in Manhattan below 59th Street and parts of Brooklyn.

This week, Citi Bike is available only to members with year-long subscriptions. It opens to members with day- and week-long passes Sunday.

In a short review, Felix Salmon had a positive reaction, while noting that the bikes are hard to maneuver and have poor brakes: "So far, at least, CitiBiking is just as convenient as I'd hoped: there are stations everywhere, and they all seem to have both bikes and empty parking slots."

Jake Dobkin at Gothamist gave Citi Bike a positive review as well, concluding that "despite my little gripes above, I would heartily recommend joining this program to all my friends and acquaintances. It's going to be  a life-changer."

The New York Times surveyed riders, finding mostly good reactions, while noting continued opposition. The program has come under fire from New York residents who regret the loss of parking spaces and potential reduced property values (at a community meeting, someone compared to Bloomberg administration to the Taliban).

In Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood, cartoonist Alex Gruss protested the corporate sponsorship of the program by placing a bike-like wooden sculpture at the rack outside his home, Gothamist reported.

According to Citi Bike, the 6,000 trips on day one averaged about 20 minutes long, the time length the program is meant to encourage. Together, members covered nearly 14,000 miles. One bike has already been stolen.

Citi Bike even landed on the cover of this week's New Yorker. Artist Marcellus Hall told the magazine, "I’m not one of those hard-core bike freaks; it’s just a good way for me to get around in the city.”

SEE ALSO: How NYC's Citi Bike Share Program Works

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Bike share finally opened for business in New York City on Monday, and so far it's been quite well-received.

Despite a few early glitches (and one stolen bike), Citi Bike members had taken more than 6,000 trips and covered nearly 14,000 miles before the end of the afternoon.

The program will change the look of the city, and it will also change a lot of people's lives. Many people — cyclists and others — will benefit. Others — including drivers — will lose out. 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg notes that Citi Bike is New York's first new public transit option in 75 years, and if it expands enough of the next few years, it could one day make the Big Apple the first American metropolis to count among the world's most bike-friendly cities.

For everyone who wants to give it a shot but has not tried out a similar system in any of the more than 500 cities that already have one in place, here's a rundown of how to sign up, get a bike, and hit the city on two wheels.

For the first week, Citi Bike is only open to members with year-long subscriptions, for $95. You can sign up online, as long as you have a credit or debit card.

Starting June 2, those who do not want to commit for the long-term can sign up for one day ($9.95) or a week ($25).

Annual members get a Citi Bike key fob. Short-term members can unlock bikes by entering a 5-digit number on a keypad.

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[Editor's Note: New York's Citi Bike share opened for business on Monday, and our friends at Greatist shared these tips for staying safe while cycling in the city.]

Biking can be just as safe as driving — in fact, some studies claim it’s the safest transportation for young adults — when everyone follows the law and uses plenty of common sense.

Below is a cheat sheet on how to avoid accidents (and tickets) on the road. Happy cycling!

Rules of the Road

• Bike on the road in the same direction as traffic (only bikers under age 12 are legally allowed to ride on sidewalks). Even though they lack a motor, bicycles are considered road vehicles just like cars and trucks. 
• Stop at red lights and stop signs, and obey other traffic signs (i.e. one-way street, yield, etc.), just like you would in a car.
• Use marked bike paths or lanes when they’re available.
• When traveling with children, be extra safe. In some areas (New York, for example), babies under one year old cannot be carried on a bike. Kids must sit in a correctly attached child carrier (i.e., no sitting on the handlebars or perching on the back wheel!). All children must wear a helmet at all times — in some states that means all persons under age 18.
• In many areas, biking on highways, expressways, interstate routes, and thruways is illegal (although this may be changing soon thanks to new highway systems for bikes in Maine, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Alaska).

Safety Gear

While each state has its own rules and regulations, most areas require cyclists to sport the following safety equipment:

• Helmet (this fancy one keeps track of fitness info while protecting the noggin!)
• Bell or horn
• White headlight and red taillight when riding around sunrise, sunset, or at night
• Working brakes
• Reflectors on the front and back of the bicycle.

Good Habits For Busy Streets

To make every cycling experience positive (and safe), follow safe biking practices. Most of these habits are geared towards keeping the cyclist visible to drivers and pedestrians in order to prevent accidents.

• Put down the phone. We shouldn’t even need to say this, but talking on the phone, texting, or checking Instagram while biking are major no-nos. Also refrain from listening to headphones because they can make it more difficult to hear approaching cars and pedestrians.
• Ride in a straight line. This one’s self-explanatory, but riding in a predictable fashion makes it easier for cars to go around (and not into) you.
• Stay on the right side of the lane, in a single-file line with other cyclists (not two or three abreast). If the street is too narrow for cars to pass, cyclists are allowed to ride in the middle of the lane to increase visibility. Keep an eye out for parked cars (or rather, doors from parked cars opening into the street). Avoid the dreaded door-into-cyclist snafu by staying a little bit closer to the center of the street if there are parked cars. Also, move towards the left side of the lane when turning left.
• Stay out of drivers’ blind spots, especially at traffic lights or stop signs.  
• Always keep at least one hand on the handlebars. Save the “look, Ma, no hands!” tricks for the driveway at home.
• Signal well and make eye contact with drivers before making a turn or slowing down. All biking signals are done with the left arm, so keep the right hand on the handlebars for stability. If you’re not confident about your signaling skills, spend some time practicing turns in a quiet area where there is little traffic before hitting the busier roads (or nab a set of these sweet signal light armbands).
  • To turn left, extend the left arm straight out from your side, parallel to the ground.
  • To turn right, extend the left arm out straight from the shoulder with the elbow bent and the left hand pointing straight up. The arm should form an “L” shape.
  • To slow down, extend the left arm out straight from the shoulder with the elbow bent and the left hand pointing straight down. It’s the opposite of the right-hand turn.
• Don’t drink and bike (duh).
• Stay visible. Wear bright colors for daytime riding and reflective materials for night.
• Consider sporting a mirror to keep track of cars behind you.
• Travel with a mini tool kit. If your trek is more than 10 minutes or down a lonely stretch of road, you’ll thank us. Take the time to learn how to do a few quick repairs in advance of any big rides so you don’t get stranded!
• Check local municipal and state traffic laws before hitting the road. Major cities and certain states have different regulations, so study up before rolling out.
• Have fun! Biking is all about enjoying the great outdoors, so don't forget to smile while you signal.
  

SEE ALSO: Here's How To Use NYC's New Citi Bike Share Program

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