Thanks, Zen!
You're right, of course, and I don't ever expect to keep up with the really fast riders; I don't even want to. It's just that several of the women I've been riding with regularly say I'm a strong rider, and they don't think I'd have any trouble keeping up if I were on a road bike. But I don't think I'd like the more bent over position of the traditional road bike, so I'm leary of buying one. On the other hand, if the Alp is just another hybrid packaged as a road bike, I won't be any better off than I am now.