My biggest annoyance with winter commuting is, not the cold, but the two-way dark. I’ve just started to get dawn near the end of my ride.

I kind of like the dark. I work early enough that I get in before dawn almost year round, with the flip side being that I have daylight on my way home all year unless I’m scheduled unusually late. I definitely would be less comfortable riding after dusk than before dawn, though, so I do hear you.