I'm working hard (doing intervals on my commute) to improve my ability to get up to speed quickly, and to generate bursts of 'bridging speed'. Having started doing group rides for the first time, with a club that stretches my abilities, my goal right now is to finish one darned ride with the group, instead of by myself. There is generally a regroup after long climbs - a stop to refill water bottles and such - but losing the group as it accelerates away from a stop or a corner generally means riding the rest of the way solo, or with other 'dropees'. The fast guys in front will tend to jet off quickly to about 23. I can push that speed only briefly if I'm not drafting, so if I let a gap form, I am in trouble fast. I learn a bit more, and get a bit stronger each weekend. This weekend's ride is a tough one by my standards: 63 miles with 2,300' of climbing. Unless they take a long water break, it will be adios amigo long before the end. I'm at a point where I am in between the B group, which has a wide range of abilities and constantly stops to regroup, and the A group, which has a higher cruising speed, accelerates like mad, and doesn't stop for anyone, anytime.
So, bottom line, I understand how you must feel to have made those bridges, and respect the effort, and especially the training, that made it possible.