Quote Originally Posted by KSH
For me, I don't have the natural ability. All I have is the ability to be perfectly mediocre. And that allows me to ride with groups and makes me happy!
Wwwooooh, wait a minute dear.

I generally agree with your post, but I strongly refuse to think of you as "mediocre". (There is definitely an ironic spin to your post and I'm sure that's not what you think, but I still need to clarify.)

A trainer I worked with along with other members of my club, who also works with elite and professional athletes, kept telling us that we were all athletes - no matter at what level - and in any case close to the peak of the fitness pyramid in the general population. About 1% of the population participates in triathlon, and probably not a lot more than 10% of the population is capable of running 5-10 km continuously or cycle for more than 30 km. So please don't say you are mediocre. Perhaps you would seem relatively out of place if dropped inadvertently in the middle of the world championships. But even then you wouldn't be mediocre. Do not put yourself down like this, it's absolutely not founded.

Besides that, yes, genetics do play a part. For example, it's proven unfortunately that no matter how much they train about 1/3 of the population will not significantly increase their respiratory capacity... which doesn't prevent them from having fun and reaping other health benefits from exercising.

However, there is also a strong social, personal and familial component. My dear partner, to take only one example of someone I don't even dream of passing on a hill (unless he has a broken leg... and even then...) has been involved in sports since he was a very young child and never stopped cycling, running and swimming, all his life. He didn't come in first, but he certainly wasn't out of place at the abovementioned world championship when he went there. He has good genes, perhaps, but above all he had a lot of encouragement as a child, a lot of experience, a lot of training, and he's built over the years an amazing machine of a body. That serves him well. (Hummm, serves me well too, but that's another matter. ) I, on the other hand, while never sedentary, never was into any sport, but chose politics and volunteer work instead. Without offence to my parents, I may not have the most athletic set of genes, either. I have now added cycling (and some running) to my life, but not at the expense of other activities I love and find meaningful. So of course I'm not improving as much as much as I would if I would put cycling first. So what? That doesn't make me mediocre.