This is all very illuminating. Thanks.
For myself, my commuting also counts as "just another ride." I moved to a neighbourhood that makes use of the car redundant, unless I need to move something large -- though I don't have a car on the road right now.
The rest of my week includes a long (100km) group ride on Wednesdays and a slightly shorter route on Sundays, alone or with a couple of friends.
Even
my commute can be exciting, and, due to where I live, scenic as well.