Yesterday I had a great commute. I extended my 7.5 KM route to just over 40 KM. Felt great. I came across another rider out in the country and she was moving quite fast. I paced her until she broke off. At a stop sign she said, "Wow, you're fast. Imagine what you could do on a road bike - I mean what the heck...." I liked that. I was riding a flat bar road bike that is pretty optimized so it isn't at all far from a road bike - it just looked odd as I had my rear rack, pannier and trunk bag.
Today's commute was just nice as usual....