4 speed ka-booom !

I hear wat you are saying, but
When the shifter falls to hand, you don't have to think about that rascally 2-3 shift anymore. And when the rods do what you tell them too, you can stop worrying about miss-shifting.
Then your brain can concentrate on getting down the track.
The fewer things to think about,the better!
And besides that, backshifting that In-Line is a PITA when the shifter is too-far forward.And I'd like to add that I have not missed a shift since 2004. And my rev-limiter has not had any exercise since then either.
But I do hear what you are saying.