I hereby confess one of darkest, most distasteful sides of my personality: I own and ride a bicycle.

I know, it's a tough thing to take. After all, it seems the only good thing bikes contribute to society is being something everyone else can all hate together. Pedestrians roll their eyes in annoyance as bikes glide by. Cars honk their horns in appalled irritation when they want to hug the curb. A few weeks ago, Oprah Winfrey looked ready to punch Lance Armstrong in the face. And I don't think it's because he had taken performance-enhancing drugs and then lied about it. It's because he rides a bike.