I would think a 1:1 would be way too slow a gear for a race. I used to spin easy gears up big climbs but then I found that pushing harder gears works better for me. If I try to go fast in say a 34x30 then I spin like hell and my heart rate goes up too fast. Now I push a 39 x 23 most everywhere except for big climbs where I will use the 27 and I just keep turning over the cranks at low cadence but with a managable heart rate. Also I don't mind standing once and a while in fact I like it to stretch out...
I think it's a matter of personal taste. I've got an uphill time trial coming up and I was tempted to set my fixed gear bike up with like a 40 x 28 or something like that.