Why am I so slow on the bike?

My guess is that you're just a wuss.

Looked at your logs and the damn things are practically empty, hope that's a error of omission, not your actual training.

How much have you been riding? How long have you been riding at that level? 17mph is not all that slow, on what basis do you assume you should be going faster?

As far as I can tell, the only problem here is your honesty. Your friends lie, your stationary bike is notorious for its prevarication, and you believe them. Then you compare your truthful reality to their fables, and are disillusioned when you fall short.

If I add right, you've been riding all of ONE FRIGGING HOUR per week? And expect to be fast? I usually tell folks to get their mileage up to 75 to 100 miles per week (that's 5 to 7 HOURS) before they even consider doing speedwork.

{{sigh}} Best.Cycling.Advice.Ever. comes from the famous Belgian cyclist, Eddy Merckx, profound in its simplcity and completeness in eight letters: "Ride lots!"

Not just ride more, "Ride Lots!"

I hear your wintertime blues, 'cause I'm the biggest weather weenie out there. Since the time changed back to standard time last October, I have been lucky to get one ride in per week, and have fifteen extra pounds and a slug-like velocity to show for it. But I'm not making excuses or wondering why I'm so slow. I AM pledging to get my weekly mileage up to 100 by the end of April, however, and remove all possibility of excuses going forward. God and my 50-yo joints willing, I have a metric century scheduled in two weeks and a full hilly century on May 1.

lynda - 2005-04-02 7:32 PM lablover, I always defer to the bear and ride_like for bike advice, but may I suggest you consider purchasing a trainer? It is just about the right time of the year to get a good deal on a sale. While it isn't the same as riding outside, you're at least on your own bike in your house without the 30 minute time limit. But other than that, yeah, ride lots.

Yeah, a trainer's key to ridin' lots over the winter, especially for you sunless Yankees. But I HATE IT! Think I rode on mine four times in four months.

Might be a good time to pick up a used one cheap as we head into the spring thaw...

2.5 hours on the trainer? Put a gun to my head and stop the suffering.

From Ron's plan (first full paragraph);

Ok, so you want to do a sprint length triathlon?  To start the final 13 week program leading up to a sprint tri, you will need to be able to consistently sustain the following:  20min swim, 30min bike, 20min run.  If you can do the previous, then you are ready for the final 13 week program for a sprint triathlon.  These minutes might seem 'long' but I am assuming that you are going at a leisurely pace and NOT working on speed at this stage of the game.  SO, by doing the 20-30min of each sport, I am hoping you will be at least meeting the mileage.  You may very well exceed it - that's ok, you will then be better prepared.  

Your question on this thread is "Why am I so slow on the bike?," our answers concern what you need to get faster. Ron's program is one that trains you to complete a sprint triathlon, which is a different proposition altogether.

And , really, IMHO your goal in your first race of any kind should be to finish.

"30-45 mins" is "pretty good," if you're talking about daily training, at least three or four days per week with a longer ride on the weekends.

Everyone who said

1. your friends are mistaken about their speed
2. you need to ride more...Lots more

is correct. Going fast on the bike HURTS, just like running fast HURTS. I can't swin fast, but I'll bet that swimming fast HURTS too.

The simple formula for getting faster. Ride hard for 100 miles or more each week for two months. You will be faster.

20 mph off-road , and they don't have pro contracts, and olympic gold and rainbow stripes .....geeeze....