I'm with The Fixer and Isits and some others: for me, cycling was never about competing, even with or within myself. It's about my mental and physical health, moments of serenity in a pressured life, enjoying the beauty of the countryside around me on rides, the companionship of others on group rides, the rhythm of my heartbeat and breathing on solo rides. These are lessons I learned after realizing how unhealthy my hyper-competitiveness was for me, but I can understand others having other points of view and priorities.