I have been driving part way and riding the last 18+/- miles to work once a week for the last six weeks. I have not been dropping the pounds like others in this forum but I suspect that I need to de-wuss and try to do the commute more than once a week. I have dropped 2-3 pounds since I started (only 50 more to go)...
I guess I got up in a bad mood so rather than toss the bike in the back of the truck I just rode on by. The 3.5 miles of rolling hills drops about 400 ft from one end to the other. I was kind of surprised about how much uphill there was even though I knew I was on average going down. About the two mile mark and discovered I forgot to turn on my gps
I managed to average a bit over 15mph on the way in just a couple tenths less than what I averaged last week on my shorter ride.
I tried using a pannier for the first time. While I really like no weight on my back I am not used to how the bike handles when I stand up crest a hill. I am also used to using a camelbak in my pack and had to go old school with the water bottle. I think since it was cold/rainy today I will be okay but I will need more water if it gets nice.
This afternoon I will try to remember to turn on the GPS before I leave work and record the entire 22 miles or so. I suspect I will slow way down in the last few hills. If it isn't too bad I might try to go twice a week on the bike.