One of my favorite parts of the commute is leaving the village in the early morning and riding through the greenbelt on a nice quiet country road for 5 or 6 miles before I hit the first subdivision. This stretch has a nice two-stage, 2-mile long downhill that kicks in at almost exactly the halfway point. I've learned to work this hill into my training, taking advantage of the upcoming respite by pushing myself hard into that first decline, and coasting for a minute as the bike glides down the hill. I repeat the process for the second stage which is about a half mile further ahead.

The only drawback with this stretch are the crossings, feeder roads and driveways coming in at right angles to me. There are about a half dozen of them, and at any one, a car can come flying up to the stop sign at any time. There is never a guarantee that the driver sees me.