I'm not a fast rider (built for the long run, I guess), but I have 44-34-22 and a 12-14-15-16-17-19-21-25-34 customised cassette. I very rarely use the 44/12 or even the 44/14 combo.
As for the middle ring, it depends on the terrain you're riding through. I was hesitant between 32, 34 and 36 and now find that 34 is the best I could have chosen. Why? With the large and middle rings (44-34), there is just enough overlap so that I use the middle ring for slight inclines, slight headwind... and the large ring for slight tailwinds. The middle ring is also the one I use all the time except for steep hill climbing. Only once did I find the gap between 22 and 34 a bit too wide; that was when riding through a very strong headwind that required me to stay in the granny most of the time.