Today I got to try this out. Having travelled to work with my carpool, I then discovered (OK, remembered might be a better word

Situation:
- my place of work is approx. 8 miles from home on rural asphalt roads. There's roughly 80 metres of ascent (and slightly more descent) over the route.
- I had roughly an hour to get to my appointment.
- the weather was cool (5C, 40F) dry and overcast, with a slight headwind.
- I'm wearing office clothes (leather shoes, cotton trousers, long-sleeved polycotton shirt ) plus a fleece jacket, cycle helmet and a hi-visibility vest. I'm carrying my EDC backpack (which I haven't posted here yet).
- my bike is as previously pictured, with the addition of lights and a bell:

I hope no-one's too surprised to learn that I successfully made it home

There are some learning points, most of which you might have predicted:
- I can bike home from work in 35 minutes or so. This knowledge is valuable to me in itself.
- 8 miles by bike doesn't sound all that far, but if you're an out-of-shape late-thirties desk-jockey whose usual cycle journey is a mile or less, it's surprisingly hard work. I need more practice at this sort of thing.
- I must learn to pace myself better. I set off at (what passes for) a sprint, and after the first two miles was regretting it.
- office clothes aren't ideal for cycling in, but they will do in a pinch.
- a hi-visibility vest is surprisingly windproof, and is a useful addition to a fleece if there's no other shell garment available.
- my ears, nose and especially hands were cold. I didn't have any warm gloves, but at the 2-mile mark I stopped and put on a pair of nitrile gloves from my FAK, which kept the wind off and helped a lot.
Going back to work after my appointment, I put my bike in my car and drove ...