It's both, actually, and there's simply no way around the physics of it. It is what it is.

But I agree with the intent of the post. The work you're doing is great and will benefit you hugely. And it really is pointless to compare yourself to others unless that's what you really want to do. To do that, though, you need to make sure all the other variables are equalized (like riding similar bikes), and even then you're going to be disappointed a lot of the time.