Why am I so slow on the bike?

Remember it's secret. Shhh!

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RIDE LOTS!!!! 

I will agree with Johnnykay, and Ken.  Ride a lot, ride with 1 or more people, especially if they are faster than you.  Do a twice weekly spin class, do some strength work, etc, etc.  Last season, I did strength work in the offseason, did 2x weekly spin classes, got a proper bike fit, rode with faster riders, and put in a lot of miles.  My avg bike speed went from 19.0 to 21.7.  You will keep improving to a certain point, but don't expect a huge gain in improvement or you may be dissapointed. 

Bmac

I went from BOP to MOP in my age group last year primarily by working on my pedaling technique and cadence.  I did most of my training rides in Z2, with a of cadence 85-90.  As my technique got stronger during the year I was able to move to higher gear ratios and resulting faster speeds.  As a former weightlifter/bodybuilder, raw strength has never been a problem for me.  As someone told me recently, I  "have the legs of a Michigan fullback".   Just learning how to apply my muscles efficiently has been the challenge.

For me it was a major milestone to be able to sustain + 20mph on the flat.  If nothing else it was a psychological achievement as much as a physical one. I still can't average 20mph - my best race so far has been a 17mph average. But at least it feels good to be passing people on the bike rather than bringing up the rear all by myself.

My problem is my running, where I seem to be forever stuck at 10-12 minutes/mile.  My primary goal for 2006 is to break 10/mile for 5K.

Mark

It could be a host of things.  What kind of bike do your ride? I noticed on your log that you only put in some thirteen hundred kilometers this year on your bike.  It could be that you started late in the season, but still, you need to hit the saddle more.  "Ride lots" is great advice but you must also ride fast.  If you want to improve, you are going to have to adopt a program (the 20 week bike focused olympic training program would be good for you) that includes strength, speed and endurance training.  You would have 3 bike training sessions each week, starting with:

48 minutes fast, fartleks, intervals, maybe a tt - for speed,

64 min medium, which included hills,  - for strength,

80 min slower pace - endurance and stamina,

and working you way up to 93, 124, 125 minutes repectively before you begin to taper.

Also, check out the bike for fit and to ensure that all parts, especially the wheels, are in tip top shape.  A bent axle or a wheel that is out of true will affect your performance to some degree.  For instance, years ago my performance on the bike dropped drastically all of a sudden.  There was nothing wrong with me, I was in tip top shape so I deduced that there must be something wrong with the bike so I checked everything out. It turns out that my rear brake was a little too tight and was clamped onto the wheel.  Sort of like riding a car with the emergency brake on !  DoH!!!!!!!!

Sorry for the curt response, but it really is that simple for the most part.  Others here have listed some things you can do as part of that "lots" to help.

What is your avg. speed for an oly?  How fast do you run a 10k in an oly?  Do you run fast because you're going "easier" on the bike?  Or are you going all out and still slower?  Do you come from a running background?  I tried to look at your logs before I posted.  Maybe you don't keep them up, but I didn't see a ton of bike mileage in there.

Some more info might help, but in the end it's all about building up that engine.  My best guess is that you just need to spend more time in the saddle.

Get on your bike and ride.... ride ride ride ride ride.... lots.... as much as you can handle. Then ride some more.

Before you do that, though.... make sure your bike fits you. Make sure it's been measured for you and it doesn't cause you pain in your knees or ankles or lower back while you're riding it. Then just get on your bike and ride. I suggest riding with a group of like minded triathletes if you can find them. Makes riding more fun and less solitary.

I followed this theory last summer, and fell in love with riding so much I quit running! ((Whoops!)) but I did notice a HUGE improvement in my bike... from 17 mph or so @ Chicago in 2004 to almost 21 mph @ Chicago in 2005!

It just takes TITS.... Time In The Saddle.

 Go get 'em.

Whizzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I like that even better than "Ride Lots"!

I'm one that advocates "Ride Lots" as a method of getting fast on the bike, and I have quantified it as 100 miles per week MINIMUM, and staying at that level for several months. I have had people PM me, saying "Ride Lots sucks, I've been riding 100mpw and I'm not getting faster." Well, when I look at their logs, I find maybe three 100-mile weeks in the past three months.

Looking at your logs, I see only ONE 100-mile week this year, and only one stretch of three weeks where you rode 80 miles on consecutive weeks. Of course the fault may be with your log-keeping, but still...

If someone did come to me and show where he had been riding lots for a reasonable period of time without improvement, I would then start talking about quality work: hill work, intervals, tempo rides. I'd advise a similar approach in running, first build a reasonable base, then improve the quality of your workouts.

Don't worry, I suck on the bike too. I can swim and run but don't think of getting me over 20mph for over a couple miles.

I'm just going to ride like crazy this winter and spend tons of time on the trainer. You're not alone.

Yeah, that Lance guy is from your neck of the woods. Find out what he's doing, it seems to work, whatever it is.

What do you mean by that?