Originally Posted by HelpSingularity

Speaking as a fellow geezer who is now gently entering the twilight phase of my storied cycling career, I would guess that, at least, a partial solution for your "need for speed" TM is not bigger gears but lighter (and more supple) tires and tubes. One example is the Rene Herse Snoqualmie Pass tires, there are other brands that I have heard good things about (in terms of performance). Perhaps moving down to 38c or 32c widths as well. I can almost guarantee that you are not spinning out, on level ground, your (46x11) 114 gear inch setup. Having lightish wheels will be a (big) positive step towards accomplishing your goal of higher performance.
There is a whole rabbit hole of things to do to be faster but light and supple tires are a fast and easy, but not necessarily cheap way to go.