I thought I would post something about this well ahead of time to give people who might be interested a chance to get their bikes and their bodies in shape for such a thing.
In a related political note, there is a bill before both the House and Senate - HR1498 and S858 which would amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the transportation fringe benefit to bicycle commuters:
http://www.govtrack....
http://www.govtrack....
Our own Jim Moran is one of the co-sponsors of the bill before the House.
More about bicycle commuting after the flip...
Getting back to the question of riding your bike to work - even for just one day, there are a whole host of issues that people may have. These might include distance to work, access to showers, safety, choice of route, and many others. The web links that I have given have in-depth discussion of these things, but I can mention a few points here:
For beginners, you might try driving partway, parking at a convenient spot, and then riding the bike the rest of the way. As you get more and more used to it, you can extend the distance by driving less and riding more.
If you don't have a shower at work, you should select a shorter route (perhaps < 5 miles) so you don't arrive at work with a funky odor.
If you don't have a pack in which you can carry work clothes, you can bring some in ahead of time so that you will have something on-hand to change into when you get there.
One challenge is selecting a route that is relatively safe where you aren't likely to get run over by a car. Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling has a good website:
with maps here:
that show possible roads and trails in Fairfax county. There is also a paper map showing roads and trails which are suitable for bicycle trails in the DC Metro area that you can find at many bicycle stores in the area.
For me personally, bicycle commuting will be something new. It wasn't an option in previous years because I simply didn't have a good route. From where I live now, however, it is an entirely different matter. I do like riding my bicycle, but I really don't like going to the gym and riding a stationary bicycle, so for me this is sort of a natural. In my case, I can take good bike trails nearly the whole way to work which is 18 miles one-way - a bit more than I would like, but I have done >40 and >50 mile rides in previous years once I am in good form, so it ought to still be doable. I can also get there via streets of one kind or another - that would be 12 miles. I still haven't decided which way I want to go with this...