I have perhaps the most congested bike commute in the entire US. I ride north from my apartment in Jersey City through many towns in Hudson County (the most densely populated area in NJ, which is the most densely populated state) to the George Washington Bridge. I enjoy the brief reprieve of the bike lane on the bridge before zipping down Riverside Drive on my way to Central Park, then to my office in Midtown. It's one of the slowest 20 mile rides ever, but still beats the pants off of a crowded underground train commute.
I'm a Cat 3 road racer, Expert Mountain biker, an admittedly undertrained "weekend warrior". I'm a senior exec at a PR firm. If your company needs representation, drop me a note.
I used my bike to get out of town on September 11 since all public transport was at a standstill. It took me 3 hours to cover the 20 miles--one of the most exhausting commutes I've ever done. I was thankful to get home at all that day.