Maybe you should add gears to see if you can keep up?
Cross is a balance between power and skill. You gotta have the power but if you don't have the skills to put the power down, you are useless. If you have the fitness/power you say you do, you should be able to catch back up on the flats. You can tell roadie converts because they blow past you on the flats and you pass them back in the technical sections.