i too have had the 'too hard on yourself blues' --> getting dropped repeatedly does little for your morale. there are just some people that are naturally fit - you know...the guy that rides a few times a month and can keep up with you well.

people assume that because i ride so often that i must really be fast. fast for the normal population, but in the biking subculture.

lesson learned: i would go out with these guys on sunday mornings, and i'd get dropped anywhere from 1/2 way to 3/4 the way.....it was my first experience riding in a pack.....after getting dropped the whole summer (thank you...may i have another @ss whooping) i found out that these guys are Cat 2-5 and race velodrome during the week ---

i still dream of keeping up with them.

but on any given day i don't know how strong i will be until i am 15-20 minutes into a ride (or longer) so it is hard to build up to one day without knowing how your body is going to respond.