A 38-14 combo will get you ~30km/h at a mederate 90rpm cadence, this feels like "not going any where"?
OTOH, (ignoring the 'no cross chaining' rule) if you're getting to 38-14T and then going to the big ring and back to the 34 (48-34T) on you cassette then yes you would feel little to no resistance as it is a much lower gear. There will be an overlap or redundant gearing when switching chain rings.