Originally Posted by
wheelreason
Not really, assuming both riders of similar experience and skill, one has to be a lot stronger than the other in order to drop them, and if it's a group ride, even harder. We have a guy we used to ride with nicknamed "The Tick" He was not nearly a sstrong as most of the rest of us, but he was almost impossible to drop, I called him my human power meter. When I could ride awy frpm him near the end of a ride, I was ready for the yearly hilly century.
You appear to have missed the key point - "...
riding at the same power they do..."
Sure, someone really fit can overcome a disadvantageous bike by working harder. That's not in question.