Fortunate timing for this group of mountain bikers in Jalisco, Mexico participating in the Ruta De La Llluvia 2024 on July 28th who noticed the beginnings stages of a landslide and were able to evade its debris path moments before it swept across the trail they were riding.
Various factors can destabilize slopes to the point where the force of gravity overcomes its resisting forces causing landslides including erosion caused by manmade development and the introduction of water. This road in Mazamitla was clearly manmade, cutting into an existing slope and had recently experienced a rain event which added weight to the slope, reducing material strength and lowering friction, increasing the probability of landslide.
Thankfully these bikers were heads up when tiny portion of the hill started to crumble and were able to make it to safety before a much bigger section fell across the trail they were just about to cross: