Not weird at all. I personally believe the 109% rule or even Lemond formula of .883x inseam is bit high for the recreational rider with limited hip flexibility. So many factors...you mention a big one...you rode off road for years and are conditioned to ride with a lower saddle. But technique is big...whether you ride toe down...how big/long your feet are...cleat stack height...lots of factors. I also ride with a low saddle height relative to my long inseam of 35"....a full 1-2cm underneath both formulas. You need to find the right saddle height for 'you'...and it won't necessarily comport with a formula...formulas are based upon models and models don't agree with everybody.
For me this comes down to how clean my pedal stroke is and whether I feel my quads are doing too much work if the saddle is too low and if I feel a slight twinge in the back of leg at knee level if the saddle is too high and I am over extending.