I was having a bit of a hard time putting my finger on exactly what was going through my head this morning ... but I think you've come pretty close.

In my case, the time of arrival isn't handed down to me from on high, but I do prefer to get here at 8:30, and kick myself when I'm late. The car will get me to work more quickly, on average, but there's a lot less I can control, and I stress more over being late because of it. On the bike, so long as I leave on time ( and avoid a flat or an accident ), I know exactly when I'm going to arrive, so I don't worry about it. And that makes the commute as close as it could possibly be to a leisure ride.