gmrv4, good job on your shakedown ride in KC. It will get easier to make the twice daily commute rides, but it is usually best to take it easy for the first few weeks. Don't worry about how fast or slow you are going, just ride comfortably and get the feel of the traffic flow and safety issues. I think lots of folks would agree that safety and comfort trump speed and time when bike commuting.

Today was a great day for a 27 mi RT in my area. It was a calm mild day, the only obstruction on todays route was a wrong way mtn bike rider, going against me in the bike lane plus two lanes of oncoming cars.