Our mayor has faster times than I do on some segments. She's a few years older (I'm 59), experienced a pretty serious accident cycling a couple of years ago so probably isn't quite at her peak, and while she's a big fitness buff and proponent of fitness in our city, I doubt anyone would take a look at her and say "Wow, she must be an athlete." She's an extraordinary human being in a very ordinary physique that I think many older folks can relate to, which is great for promoting fitness.

And I'm okay with her beating me.

And some of the younger women I ride with in local groups, in their 30s-40s, routinely kick my butt on sprints and hill climbs. One of 'em has been riding only a year and she's seriously good.