There are some Peloton riders out there who are great athletes and can put up big numbers - including NFL, NBA and other pro Athletes like Usain Bolt. Some people also treat live rides like cycling time trials and warm up ahead of time and just try to put up max output the whole time. It's also known that bigger and heavier riders seem to have an advantage and unlike actual cycling, they aren't penalized by the wind for their size.
That said, another major factor is that there can be a pretty big variance in how bikes are calibrated - especially with the regular bike. This means that 50 resistance on one bike may be like 60 on another bike. The Bike+ re-calibrates itself so they seem to be more consistent (and harder) than many of the regular bikes.
Overall, I use the leaderboard to push myself but I don't stress out about the folks at the top of it.
Hope this helps!
That said, another major factor is that there can be a pretty big variance in how bikes are calibrated - especially with the regular bike. This means that 50 resistance on one bike may be like 60 on another bike. The Bike+ re-calibrates itself so they seem to be more consistent (and harder) than many of the regular bikes.
Overall, I use the leaderboard to push myself but I don't stress out about the folks at the top of it.
Hope this helps!
