Yeah, I struggle with our local 3%-7% hills of less than a mile long in my road bike's 42/24 lowest gear. I'd rather have my hybrid's 30/28, even tho' the hybrid is heavier.
Reportedly Contador prefers mountain gearing closer to what we ordinary humans would ride, including 30/34 on some rides.
And I can't keep up with a 40 year old friend who's been riding only a year. Even though she's recovering from a broken collarbone and wasn't able to train for a few weeks, she's still averaging almost 17 mph over 20-60 mile rides. I've never managed more than 16 mph over 20 miles the past year.
On the plus side I've noticed I'm usually among the few not just bombing downhills but pedaling instead of coasting. I like speed. I just don't like working for it.