Triathlon - Relay in 3.5 weeks, what to do?

I have been asked by a relay team to bike for them in a sprint (20mi). I have never participated in any race, triathlon or otherwise. The rest of my team is laid back and I'm sure it will be fun, but what advice can you give a relatively novice road cyclist for his first triathlon? I am looking into clip-on aero bars, is there anything else I should be looking for? I currently ride about 25 miles 5 times a week, granted I'm not racing anyone but my times are pretty slow, ~17-18mph on flat terrain. Do I have a shot at getting faster by then?

Any help would be greatly appreaciated, or you can just tell me to pipe down and head back to the road forum :)

I'd scrap the aerobar idea if you only have 3.5 weeks left. It will make you a little faster, but in my opinion, the risk of you getting into trouble is pretty high, especially if this is your first race ever.

For the next few weeks, give intervals a try. If you are unfamiliar with how to do them, use the "search" function and peruse some of the threads. Don't go too hard, though. And allow yourself to taper down the week preceding your race.

Realistically, though, you aren't likely to get that much faster in a short period of time. Unless you have some kind of really good performance enhancing drugs.:)

I don't think you should worry about it. Keep training and have fun at the tri. Tell your team mates what to expect from you and do your best at the race. Don't worry about clip ons, you don't need them. Just stay in the drops as much as you can and stayed hydrated.

Just remember, you can't draft. Keep a minivan distance between you and the cyclists around you. If you are going to pass, as soon as your front wheel passes theirs, it is the other rider's responsibility to drop back out of your draft (important to remember if you get passed as well).

Have fun!!!