Ok, so I was wondering, what is the optimal gear for me to hit my highest peak velocity unassisted?

My thinking goes like this:

• I can hit 30mph on the flat with a 77" gear.
• At that speed I have a certain cadence which is probably faster than ideal for max power, so I'm only putting out a percentage of my peak output.
• At that speed I'm losing a certain amount of energy to wind resistance. This will be high enough that it will dominate the total resistance in the system and serve as a useful approximation of my power output.
• Considering the percentage of peak power I'm putting out and the actual wattage as determined by wind resistance, I should be able to figure out my ideal peak output.
• Using that number, I should be able to determine at what point my peak output equals wind resistance.
• Using that speed and an ideal cadence of 85 rpm, I should be able to determine the ideal gear to allow me hit my highest top speed possible.

With me?

So I busted out my copy of Bicycling Science and Sheldon's online gear calculator. Here's what I learned:

• At 30mph I'm spinning 130 rpm.
• According to the data in Figure 2.16 this probably means I'm putting out about 42% of peak power.
• 30mph = 13.4 m/s and according to Figure 4.8 I'm losing about 500W to wind resistance.
• Therefore my peak output is 1190W. While not inhuman, this is definitely on the very high side of reported peformance.
• Wind resistance is 1190W around 18 m/s or 40mph.
• At 85 rpm I would need a 157" gear to hit 40mph.

So according to the above thought experiment, I need 157" to hit my peak speed. This seems insanely tall, even for a speed record attempt. Where did I go wrong?