First request after a while always slow - ASP.NET MVC / IIS 8.5 / Windows Server 2012 R2 VPS
The problem is, you need to install the IIS feature Application Initialization. Then it should work with your configuration.
The image is from Rick Strahl's blog:
Also remember to set:
- Start Mode to AlwaysRunning on the application pool
- Preload Enabled to True on the website level
You can set this settings without the Application Initialization Module be installed, but then they won't have any effect.
More Information here.