Slow and steady is great, but at some point many longs run out of money and/or they are all in with a maximum investment amount. One way to accumulate new investors (longs) is when the flippers come in for a rally, some stay behind.
Also when the price is taken up fast, many times it bases higher than before since some buyers are entering on the rise, they don't hold all the way back to the previous base. And again, some stick around.
"It's not your thinking that makes you money, it's your sitting." - Jesse Livermore