So you’re coasting along, relaxed and enjoying the woods, when BAM! You’re on the ground with nobody to blame but that unseen rock, root or @#$%*! obstacle on the trail. If only you’d been riding with your feet parallel, you would’ve glided over that puppy without incident. 

It’s natural to want to relax with a leg straight, but this reduces your foot clearance by quite a bit, leaving you just a couple inches from disaster. Riding with your feet parallel is safer and also gives you the ability to quickly raise a pedal to avoid something big and/or to switch power feet when one side is jammed. 

So the next time you’re gliding along on a trail enjoying the universe, make sure it’s a parallel universe.