...She has the athletic ability to be faster, but somehow it's not coming together on the single even though she is a daily 5km bike commuter for the last 6 months.
I'm not sure commuting is going to make anyone faster just by itself. I know a number of people who commute way more than 5km and still get dropped on rides. They have plenty of endurance but just aren't fast. It's not because they aren't capable, they just aren't training correctly. To be faster you have to actually train to be faster. She can certainly do that on her commute but she has to make it a concerted effort. Glad you guys had a great first ride! Hope you have many more. 
Last edited by Homeyba; 02-22-11 at 07:09 PM.