I see cycling performance a bit like the Biblical story of the poor woman whose tiny contribution was scorned by the wealthy until it was pointed out that she was giving a much higher percentage of what she had than they were. Measure your performance against what you have, not what Alberto Contador has.

For example, today I went for a nice 110 mile ride in the coast hills. I had a great time and was truly exhausted at the end. When I walked to the store this evening I saw a man with no right arm or leg pedaling his home-made three-wheeler at about 7 mph. His efforts put me to shame. He was using a lot more of what he had than I ever have. He's my new inspiration.