So, I just picked up my first trainer this afternoon. Kurt Kinetic Road Machine. It was easy to set up and it feels great -- super smooth and stable.

But it's hard!!!!! Does anyone else find riding the trainer much, much harder than riding on the road? I've only ever used trainers in a fitting setting before, never for an extended period. I just did a short 10 miles tonight, but it was tougher than I thought 10 miles should feel even given that I'm in bad winter shape. I managed to stay between 16 and 18 mph, around 90-95 rpm, and that was HARD. This is my usual cadence, but much slower speed than I normally am on the road. Do others of you who use trainers find that you are slower on the trainer than you are on the road??? Or am I just lame? It's not like I was pushing a super hard gear -- probably 39-14 to 39-16. Eek!!!