It has worked well for me in the past. I lost 30 lbs when I got back in to cycling, but it's slowly crept back on[2] so I need a new effort to sort it out.
My commute is only 8 miles and I do this the vast majority of days in all weathers (London, UK) even if it's icy or snowy (this weather to come in the next few months) as I've got a spare pair of wheels with Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tyres on them.
Combining my commute (the alternative is to take the train) with a 30 minute exercise session saves me time and I still get an hour of exercise a day, and I also get a bit of time to arrange my thoughts for the day.
Yes there are increased risks, but these are greatly outweighed by the health benefits.
It can get quite addictive, and the distances soon build up. I got back into cycling about 6 years ago and did a 60 mile charity ride. Those 60 miles certainly felt like a long way by the time I'd finished, but that led to doing a 200km Audax[1] in ~10 hours (they're not races) and then progressively longer rides all the way up to rides lasting multiple days and doing ~300km+ each day. Last year was Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km which has to be done in under 90 hours. That was fun, despite my relative lack of preparation.
1. Other countries call them Randonnees or Brevets. Which are generally measured in kilometers hence the swapping of units.
2. Several reasons; gluttony and apathy mainly. Easily sorted by being less lazy and keeping an eye on food intake again.
My commute is only 8 miles and I do this the vast majority of days in all weathers (London, UK) even if it's icy or snowy (this weather to come in the next few months) as I've got a spare pair of wheels with Schwalbe Marathon Winter studded tyres on them.
Combining my commute (the alternative is to take the train) with a 30 minute exercise session saves me time and I still get an hour of exercise a day, and I also get a bit of time to arrange my thoughts for the day.
Yes there are increased risks, but these are greatly outweighed by the health benefits.
It can get quite addictive, and the distances soon build up. I got back into cycling about 6 years ago and did a 60 mile charity ride. Those 60 miles certainly felt like a long way by the time I'd finished, but that led to doing a 200km Audax[1] in ~10 hours (they're not races) and then progressively longer rides all the way up to rides lasting multiple days and doing ~300km+ each day. Last year was Paris-Brest-Paris 1200km which has to be done in under 90 hours. That was fun, despite my relative lack of preparation.
1. Other countries call them Randonnees or Brevets. Which are generally measured in kilometers hence the swapping of units.
2. Several reasons; gluttony and apathy mainly. Easily sorted by being less lazy and keeping an eye on food intake again.