This is my favorite thread in this forum and I read it each morning first thing. I usually ride in 2 or three times a week and run in on Weds. It is a 9.5 miles one way with plenty of Pittsburgh hills. With the exception of a half mile streach, it is all secondary roads with very light traffic. Reading the challenges faced by many of you gives me the motivatation to start out on increasingly darker and colder mornings. Also, since I've only seen one other cyclist on my many rides, I sometimes start to question my sanity. It is good to know that there are others out there with a mind set like mine.