I run even lower a 44/17, I can spin maybe up to 90+ rpm, I keep up with traffic fairly easily. I also live on a hill, I have a lot of opportunities to learn to spin better down hill, and I spin quite well.

Track racers spend a lot of time training in the gym, doing lifts and such and improving their cardiovascular capacity. Not only track sprinters roll big gears, they have to spin at a very high cadence too.