hi folks!

i live in falls church, va, near the w&od trail. i have been thinking about commuting to work.

i can get on the w&od on great falls street and ride to reston town center, which is about a 14 mile commute door to door. for those of you unfamiliar with the area, there are a few hills, but nothing too crazy. i think i can do the ride in an hour and 15 minutes each way.

there is a gym at my office, so i can shower and get ready there.

i won't have a car at work, which means that if something comes up during the work day that requires me to be somewhere in a hurry, i'll need to jump in a taxi.

the motivation is primarily exercise. when i have time, i go to the gym in the morning for an hour. if i'm biking, i'll be riding for 2 and a half hours round trip each day. i'm not sure how realistic that is.

the cost savings is a nice bonus, but certainly not the driving motivation. i've taken the bus a couple of times, which costs $3 round trip as opposed to $3.50 + gas + wear and tear on the car. but i like the convenience of driving, so the cost savings hasn't been much of a motivation. besides, the cost of the additional food i'll consume as a result of biking will probably be more than the cost of driving.

anyhoo, wondering if i'm setting realistic expectations for myself with this commute.

thanks!