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@danwentskiing
Exactly.
I'm slow and average about 15mph on most local rides over one hour. However, probably 90% of my time is spent between 13 and 18mph. Cadence is crucial for road riding, so close-ratio gears are designed to keep you at 90ish rpm. Changing gear is not hard when you have a modern bike with STIs and are even halfway competent. It's not even something I do consciously, but I probably do it every 30 seconds or so on a road ride.
A compact will take you from about 8mph to 35mph at 100rpm in my experience. If you need more than that get a road triple, but keep your close ratio cassette, because the better you get, the more you use your gears. An mtb gear system would have massive annoying gaps right in that 13-18mph section.
I'm done with this stupid debate now.