Gravity

Elsewhere I've spoken about MTB riding on fire trails in Israel and how you learn the practice of ‘riding the ridge’ in the middle rather than getting stuck into ruts on the side. Today I realized the physical reason why you don't want to get off on the side too far. Because the farther you go down, the harder it is to come back up. Like exponentially. And that is simply because the farther you go down the hill, the more loose dirt and rocks are there are because gravity has pulled them in that direction. And the presence of all that loose debris hampers your ability to get a grip and start climbing out. They lower your grip or your tenacity on the interface so that you are using way more energy than you normally would to make maneuvers. Besides the fact that if you turn your wheel, it is harder to push forward than if it is straight and if you are turning uphill (and if you’re climbing out, you’re turning uphill) then there is the extra added slope of the hill that you have to factor in. If you don't have the advantage of strong power reserves then you won't be able to respond positively to the challenges that come with the ride and you’ll constantly be crashing. Ever feel that way about life? Learn well then here.