Every now and then I try to cycle faster than crawling pace for longer than just from Servants Quarters’ to work. Here’s some data:

Sunday 28th February: Servants’ Quarters to Musselborough
– out 45 minutes (9·2 mph against the wind)
– back would have been 40 minutes but I stopped in Leith to go shopping (10·2 mph)

Monday 1st March: Servants’ Quarters to PC World
– out 23 minutes (9·1 mph)
– back 20 minutes (10·5 mph)

Wednesday 3rd March: Servants’ Quarters to PC World
– out 18 minutes (11·7 mph)
– back 15 minutes (14 mph)

I wrote at the time that I’d like to get to 15 mph for such short bursts. (Of course, a lot depends on wind, traffic, traffic lights and whether it’s safe to take on major roundabouts.) For longer journeys, such a as visit to a friend in Spott (East Lothian), I’d be happy with 12mph in optimal conditions.

Today, the weather was much less than optimal, my abdomen felt rather tender and my thighs were not at their best due to prolonged spacehoppering yesterday. However, I’m quite please that I managed the SQ to Tescos (just next to PC World) run:
– out 18 minutes (13 mph)
– back 16 minutes (14·6 mph)
Of course, I only went that way to buy tobacco at pre-budget prices.

I don’t think I would have achieved even these mediocre speeds without jPhone blaring out a Genius mix based on my favourite MSP track.28