Along the big gear stuff, it's beneficial to explore limits. My fastest "climbs" are power climbs where I use huge gears, i.e. I'm way over my threshold but the climb is short enough that I can sustain the effort. In the post below my friend tells me that I ought to climb the steepest hill I know of in my biggest gear (53x15 or, on my bike at the time, a 48x14)

http://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...ic-and-me.html

On the other hand last year I had a mechanical in a flat race and could only use my 39T so 39x11, or the equivalent of a 53x15. Ironically this is the same gear as the one in the story above. Although I wasn't in the lead group at the end of the race, there were at least a few Cat 2s in the group and a number of strong Cat 3s, and I managed to beat them all in a flat sprint using the 39x11. The fast rider that I follow a bit (and who didn't like me following him - go to about 8:20) I think won the 40+ National Crit championships. He's no slouch but I don't go flying backwards off his wheel either.