My commute is 19.5 miles each way with about ~650ft climbing both ways. Add on a 15lbs backpack since I use my old race bike as a commuter so no way to have a rack on the back.

I leave at 6:30am at the latest, the first ~3 miles going west to reach the coast which contains one small climb. Once at the coast I take 101 south for the next ~14 miles. 101 S is beautiful since you get to view the ocean much of the ride, the traffic is light this early, and the wind is calm. I can't believe how many people are out and already surfing in the freaking cold water!!! Just light rollers on 101, decent amount of stop signs through one section and ends with a long false flat (I always killed my avg speed here). Then east ~3 miles to my final destination, the only hard part with here is trying to get over towards the left to get into a turn lane. It's one of those 4 lanes where there is a far "left only", then an "left and straight" (the one I am trying to get to) followed by a "straight" and a "right turn only". The straight lanes take you on to a highway... So trying to move over and let the drivers know not to run over you is always an experience.

Reverse the order to go home and add a 8-10mph headwind plus a TON more traffic. I try to leave by 4:30pm. Ride time for me is about 67-72 minutes each way.

I try and do this 3x a week. I don't think I could manage to do it daily tho that is the goal at some point.

I have two primary options, and a number of alternates. My 'summer time' usual route is ~19-20 miles each way, depending on which route I take to the MUP. As a general rule, I take the shorter route in the morning, and the longer route in the afternoon. The shorter route involves some busier streets, but isn't bad in the morning. I started using it when the construction of a new subdivision killed one of my MUP sections, making it harder to ride the longer way, and now it is somewhat habit. The worst part, regardless of final routing, is the number of long stoplights I have to sit through (if I hit them all wrong, the main 3 can add 8-9 minutes to my time).

The longer route takes me through more residential neighborhoods, and gets me on the MUP 'sooner'. This is roughly 4 miles of my total. Both eventually lead me to the MUP, where I do the next 12-14 miles. The terrain is rolling, and there are a large number of street crossings, especially through Falls Church, but I can usually make pretty good time. I get off the MUP and cross Memorial Bridge (right near Arlington National Cemetery), and head to the Lincoln memorial, where I ride next to where the Reflecting Pool used to be (and will be again someday?) past the WWII Memorial, through the grounds of the Washington Monument. Then I cross 14th Street, ride along the National Mall past many of the Smithsonian museums, to the US Capitol. I turn just before I get to the Capitol, on regular urban streets, to my office. Most mornings this takes me about an hour and fifteen to an hour twenty minutes.

On the way home I reverse it, except that I take E Street down to the White House, rather than heading back to the Mall. Because of the hills, the ride home is a little over an hour and a half most days.

Now that the school year has started, I am back to being multi-modal most days, as I drive my daughter 10 miles to school, park the car and ride from there. This is a ~12 mile trip each way, riding a crappy MUP to a major arterial (45 MPH, 4 lane divided but wide paved shoulder) to a two lane road leading to the Chain Bridge. This takes me to the Towpath, a gravel path along the canal, which leads me to a paved MUP, to urban streets and more MUP. This way I go through Georgetown, past the Kennedy Center, and then my usual monument tour. The biggest issue with this route is the road down to Chain Bridge, as it is busy, narrow and has no shoulder most of the way. Worse is that I have to ride up the hill in the evening, unless I take the longer way around using the MUP from my summer route, and turning off early to use suburban streets to get back to my car (not quiet residential streets, though there are houses along most of them).

I dealt with a lot of round about when I lived in England - luckily they don't really have them any where near me in NYC - stay safe!

At first glance i thought this was in Australia, because of your moniker, so I was trying to figure out which way the traffic went. But you're here in NYC. Anyway, there are a few traffic circles here in Brooklyn, most around Prospect Park, but the one in the picture looks much worse than these somehow. Park Circle has bike lanes all around it now, and Bartel Prichard Square is small. I avoid Grand Army Plaza generally, except last week they were paving it and it was completely closed to traffic so I rode straight through. All the traffic was routed onto my usual bike street.

Morning commute is between 13.5-26 miles depending on my mood and work load. Evening commute is 6.5 miles and the straightest shot from work to my house.

I ride a 6 lane divided road for ~3 miles. The posted speed limit is 45 MPH. However, average speeds are usually 55-60 mph. There is a dedicated bike lane the entire way, but my morning commute can get sketchy as I pass a dunkin donuts (cranky java deprived people don't like waiting on a bike) and Walmart (early morning tractor trailer deliveries can be interesting).

Once I get off the main road, it's all 2 to 4 lane roads with minimal traffic and a dedicated bike lane. I pass a fair share of roadies out training and get some funny looks....I ride a cross bike with knobby tires and a set of panniers.

Overall, I ride ~60-120 miles a week.

My commute is 19 miles, which is almost 3 longer than it needs to be in order to keep me off a 4 lane divided road that is too heavily travelled for my tastes.

Leaving from home I ride on 2 lane main roads through the suburbs, and I have a moderate climb half way through that slows me down. The good news is that the rest is very flat. Also in the middle 4 miles I deal with the worst traffic, but the worst is a short quarter mile on Dixie Highway (Aka Dixie Dieway). The last 5 miles to work are mostly weaving through residential streets.

I usually leave at 6am which gets me to work at least an hour early even after a quick shower, so I leave out an hour early to try and beat the traffic, which is light in the morning and heavy heading home. No bike lanes anywhere, so I am learning a ton about defensive riding!

wow I never knew - I live in Astoria - have not seen one here yet - when I lived in Australia I don't recall ever seeing one but England is littered with them - always reminds me of that scene from National Lampoons European Vacation - where Chevy Chase is stuck on one all night long - ha ha

I really admire you folks with the long or difficult commutes. Mine is so easy that I hesitate to tell people that I ride in 10 miles, as their reactions are so unwarranted. Most of it is a relaxing ride in the park: a wide paved path through the forest alongside Big Creek where I only have to dodge a few joggers and the occasional deer then a couple of miles of streets completely avoiding traffic if I time it right.

I haven't commuted yet as I'm still trying to find a bike. But I did ride my "race" oriented road bike on the same route. It was just over 14 miles one way and took me 50 mins partly due to all the lights not timed for bike speeds at all. Add in the extra time for hauling gear and more wind resistance and I'm looking at at least an hour. I think that is fine. Much more than an hour and I'd start to wonder about the value of commuting unless I had a flexible job (I don't - I teach) or a lot of time on my hands.

Roundabouts, known here in Massachusetts as Rotaries are pretty frequent. Most of the ones I encounter are about your size as photographed but some are much larger. I am an avid rearview mirror advocate, and indeed I even wear two, left and right eyeglass mounted Take-a-Look mirrors. I tout several different circumstances in which this is an effective practice, especially in rotaries.

My current commute is from west metro Denver (down) to downtown and back. ~10 miles each way. It's all on the road, but the roads either have wide bike paths, are frontage roads, or just wide roads period with fairly low traffic. It's almost all hill or slope with about 700 feet of elevation change. Takes about 35 minutes going down and 45 up, loaded with my books and binders, food, extra clothes, repair kit, etc. etc. I have to cross 2 sets of light rail tracks and 2 sets of freight train tracks each way. I go through a wide variety of neighborhoods, from normal suburbia thru the country club and thru some areas that I would ride but not walk through at night. Tried riding on the elevated-highway-with-sidewalk to avoid the tracks once but apparently that where everyone puts their recycling. Some of that probably didn't sound too nice but it's beautiful every time. I'll take a bad commute on a bike over a good commute in the car.

Mine is a pretty easy 8 miles one way, starts on residential and county roads in the Gunbarrel area of Boulder County, swing north of the tiny muni airport, then onto MUP's (Cottonwood, Foothills, Boulder Creek), popping out near the University of CO, then on surface streets which for the most part have bike lanes. The only tricky part is an underpass under US36 that doesn't have a bike lane; it does have a sidewalk that people use, but there isn't a smooth way across westbound. The low point is about halfway (the run along Boulder Creek), so I get moderate climbs at the end both directions. The MUPs are pretty busy, especially in the mornings with dogwalkers; many people with multiple dogs that tend to cover the entire path. Only a problem when you encounter them at a curve.

Mine's a fantastic 11 miles, mostly on MUPs, but with a lot of stoplights I have to wait at. I can only do the ride at most 3 days a week (fiance has school tuesdays and thursdays, I have to watch the kids), but I feel wonderful every time I ride.

There's not much money savings in it, because I still have to pay the car even when i bike (insurance and car payment doesn't change, and it's quite efficient on fuel). Even with buying my bike used, it will still take me about 3 summers to get in the black on fuel savings. Assuming I don't have to spend any more money.

But, the great news is, I went in for a physical on Monday, and the doctor was visibly impressed by my health (blood pressure, heart rate, etc.) I asked if she meant "good for a 32 year old fat smoker?" and she said "no, that's great numbers for anyone!"

That made all of the effort it took to get myself onto the bike as often as possible worth it.

That is a very fine attitude you have there but those cigarettes will still drill you straight into the earth. Don't be fooled.

Rather similar to jmilleronaire's. 11.5 miles if I spend 90% (roughly) on MUPs. Probably a bit more up & down than MN, but not too bad. I could shorten it a mile but it would require I ride on the busiest road in the area short of the freeway. Not really as bad as it sounds, but heck a one mile penalty to almost completely avoid cars?

jmilleronaire, if you are riding on the Three Rivers Park MUP that goes through the Brooklyn Park/Champlin area I would not be surprised if we have crossed paths a time or two.

I live only 4.5km from work in a somewhat hilly (nothing too big, just enough to let you know they're there) city (Sudbury, ON). Given that cycling is enjoyable and a preferred fitness activity, I take longer routes from 14 to 19km but if I am in a rush to get home, I will take the short route.

The roads are all residential except for a couple of short sections on 4-lane, 60kph (40mph) roads and one 1km section on a smooth gravel road (a connector between one suburb and Laurentian University).

I ride from one suburb to the the next and it is pretty flat, just a couple hundred feet over 9.6 miles. There is a Forest Preserve with an asphalt path between home and work but I typically stick to the residential streets with one short jaunt on a 40 mph four lane divided road.

The ride home starts into the wind until the turn toward home will net me 12-15 miles for the trip. Every now and again, when time permits, I'll push the ride home to 20-25 miles.

Actually my commute is easy peasy. I've done it so many times, I'm sure I could do it in my sleep.

wow that sounds very picturesque