My commute is changing from my little 3 mile ride to 11 mile ride one way. Shuttle system is being cutback due to cost (recession issues) my stop is being eliminated May 18. Next stop is 6 miles down the road and only 4 miles from work. So I plan and am in training for the increased mileage that will start May 18. I can ride the 11 miles in about 55 minutes and still function at work. Old duffers like me are not the fastest on the road (I get passed by everyone on bikes, oh well.). My average mph is increasing steadily. I average 12-13 mph on the commute. This is way up from the 9-10 I started with. Through residential area's with lots of hills that slow me to a crawl. I am getting better at this though.
My ride is a Fuji Absolute 4.0 Hybrid with Pannier packs stuffed with tools, clothes, lunch and not to mention lights is not the fastest bike setup but for the deal it was ok. The bike program sponsored by Emory University, Fuji and the bike shop was a good deal for a beginner rider who was not so sure he'd be riding or not. I have found this to be a godsend and can't wait until later this year when I start hunting seriously for a better bike. I have put over 1000 miles on my bike since June 2008. Quite a bit of that this year alone. I expect this to continue. It's not fancy and my speed is not up to what many are reporting here but for me this is just so much fun I wish I had done this years ago. Oh and we donated my old car last year to charity as I was commuting daily and did not need it. Now I really don't need it. I can bike anywhere in Atlanta without a problem now.