Best compliment ever :)

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Riding home, I catch a guy in front, as he slows for a junction which we both turn right at. I eye his bike, Ribble, clippy shoes etc so I know this guy knows what he is doing, but he slows down for something so I decide to go past.

Then i realize he is right behind me, so not to look like a big girls blouse, I decide to try and drop him !

3 miles later, he is still with me, and I am nearly on edge doing 24 mph, on the flat into the wind.

We stop at the next junction, and pulls up beside me and thanks me for the tow, to which I reply, your welcome mate its good for me to put some extra effort in.

He then asks me 'Do I race? cause your a very strong rider'

I explained I only commute 17 each day but a year ago I was 17.5 stone !

Well to say it made my day was an understatement ! Its made all the winter cycling through rain, snow and freezing temps worth while. Maybe I can consider myself a roadie ?

 

[Will1985]

Nice one! Did you know he was behind you at all during that time?

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Nice one! Did you know he was behind you at all during that time?

About 500 yards later,I heard him drop a gear when I had ! then he relieved his nose from snot as you do on a bike !

 

[beanzontoast]

Nice one! Did you know he was behind you at all during that time?

First indication I get that I'm being drafted is generally the noise - there's some really noisy road bikes out there; either that or ones that don't like coping quietly with the potholed road surface.

Not all drafters are noisy though. One early morning before Christmas, I thought it a bit odd on a normally quiet section of my commute where I could suddenly see not only my own shadow as I passed street lights but also an 'echo' of my main shadow keeping perfect time with me... and thus as I looked back, the silent drafter gave himself away and swished past me!

Good stuff, Kevin!

 

[Trumpettom001]

odd - I've always thought of road bikes as near silent - apart from expletive releasing potholes of course... - try being drafted by knobblies - you'll certainly know theyre there!!!

 

[jamesxyz]

nice compliment but cheeky bugger! didn't even offer to take the lead - did you not give him the elbow?

 

[hackbike 666]

I was a strong rider 300 years ago.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Nice one Kevin - you deserve to feel proud of yourself.

 

[Tynan]

24mph into a wind is good work

but all that sort of talk is a bit iffy, someone that's drafting you telling you how fast you've gone is also bigging themselves for keeping up with you, granted drafting

yes, consider yourself a roadie, being drafted is always a tick in the good column

I picked someone up this morning, checked my shoulder before moving right to filter and the bugger was almost breathing in my ear

 

[hackbike 666]

I picked someone up this morning, checked my shoulder before moving right to filter and the bugger was almost breathing in my ear

Yeah sorry about that...I thought i'd take a rest.

 

[monnet]

Good work Kevin, especially from where you say you were a year ago. Winter miles, summer smiles.

I'm always a bit demoralised by people drafting me. Must. Drop. Them. I've been known to get a bit nasty about it too notably changing to interval-like riding, hard sprints out of corners, attacking on climbs. I might be a roadie clad in lycra, clippy shoes and road bike but I'm still riding to work with a pannier or two on the back. Why do I do it?!

As for silent road bikes - carbon (and the wheels in particular) has a very distinctive whirr and Campag hubs can be heard going clicky clicky clicky for miles around.

 

[Brahan]

Campag hubs can be heard going clicky clicky clicky for miles around.

When I hear clicky clicky I go hard, get the jump and drop them. You need to make it stick, hit it hard and hope they've dropped out of the slipstream quickly.

Great work Kevin, keep it up mate.

 

[Tynan]

I've heard some new bikes with absurd freewheels like machine guns but I'm campag and my bike is quiet enough barring the rattle off the bloody disgusting road surface, it's plenty silent on the odd piece of new tarmac

I've no issue with people drating me, I see it as a compliment that I'm worth dratfing and riding smoothly enough for someone to feel comfortable, costs me nothing and I like putting something back, very happy to follow a quick bloke, nice to turn a commute home into something else

 

[fossyant]

Well done - now get racing - be good in a TT.

 

[hackbike 666]

Seems like everybody on here is Chris Hoy.