Originally Posted by johnnny
If you can race on a 48/11 then either your races are incredibly slow or you are the world's best spinner.
And yes TJHOO an 11 would definitely be a good option for the flat/slightly downhill, tailwind/crosswind sections.
Not really 48x11 is over 42 mph at 120 mph. A good sprinter can turn over 140 rpm, or more, no problem.
So 48x 11 might be a little undergeared for a UCI Protour event, but its going to serve the other 99.99% of the population just fine.