Originally Posted by gsteinb

While I take your point, your numbers are bit off. Mount Washington averages 12%. I reckon no one races that on a standard. I ride whiteface on a standard crank 10-15 times a year, but the gradient hardly varies a degree or two from 8%. though most folks I see riding it have compacts. Again, a lot of it has to do with the type of races one does, and the style in which one races. If you have a short punchy 15% section, yeah you can muscle over it with momentum. If it's extended and you're suited to higher cadence one might prefer lighter gears. If you're doing mainly flat races, or RRs without serious climbing it's mostly a non issue. I know lots of guys with 53x11s, and not a lot of guys who can effectively use them at the end of a crit for a solid placing. I used my 11 the sprint, but generally it was when I lacked popped at the end of the race to get on top of an easier gear.