Earlier, or later. I decided to bag boot camp today and ride to work. I had nothing until 10:00, but I wanted to get there by 9:15 or so. I left at 8:50, a perfect ride. When I left tonight at about 6:10, I felt like I was flying. I felt pretty aggressive and had my left arm out and finger pointing, with my "teacher gesture," as my friend calls it, as I rode through Concord Center, and I have to turn left and merge in 3 places. It's very cloudy, getting ready to rain, so I had both front and my 2 rear lights going. no mistaking me. When I got to my neighborhood, my average was the highest of all my rides this year, which is amazing, given I have my pannier, though it wasn't stuffed with much, just my clothes.
DH says this stuff happens to him on almost every commute, and he rides 17 miles! I won't stop; this is the quickest and most direct route. I can leave earlier or later, depending on the day, but I am not stopping. Perhaps, if I was a new rider, I'd be afraid, but this is just the way it is. As it gets warmer, I may experiment in riding in clothes that look less like roadie clothes, which usually gets you treated better, in my experience.
Going to boot camp tomorrow, despite my dislike of the instructor on Tuesdays.