Imagine you are an elite-level cyclist in a tight pack of competitors, seconds from the finish line. You feel you have the strength in your legs for one last push to win, but you need to shift up a gear to squeeze the last drop of power from your bicycle.
Slipping the bike’s complex mechanical gearing into a higher ratio, however, requires you to slow up for a fraction of a second and lose ground. Not only that, but the riders around you will hear the shift and may change gears themselves. Advantage lost.
