You do this so I won't have to. I could do it SS if it was paved, but unpaved, it would be a long slow granny gear grind.

I'm not a dirt rider beyond the incidental short cut on a long road ride, but the few hard-packed uphill dirt roads I've ridden on have taught me it's a hell of a lot harder than riding the same grade on pavement. I thought his assumption that the MTB rider would be less fit was hilarious.