Originally Posted by
merlinextraligh
I'm really not sure that's true if you have a good spin. 53x12 at 140 rpm is 50mph. At that speed you're getting to the point where you have to put out an awful lot of watts for a very marginal increase in speed.
Better approach often is to push hard at the top to accelerate quickly, and by the point you're geting into the high 40's tuck in, and recover.
I agree with you about getting to the high 40's and tucking in to recover. Maybe I am just more of a masher, but when I am riding downhill with a tail wind in a group of Cat1/2 riders at 40 and 50+ mph speeds I find myself trying to shift for another gear but I am already in my 53x11 (let alone 12). Approach and hit a roller while on the front and I might spin like mad in my 53x11 to maintain as high a speed as possible (yes, these are short high wattage efforts); crest the roller, tuck, and recover.