Cycling Sins

[fossyant]

@ianrauk We've all been there. I remember hitching a lift on the back of a large excavator (the type with wheels) when we were ascending a very long and steep hill. It came past at about 10mph and was too much of an opportunity not to get hold of the bumper.

I have also been guilty of drafting the odd vehicle back in the day. Guy martin style

You weren't in my old club were you ? My clubmates once did that up Winnats pass in the late 80's

 

[Smokin Joe]

Back when trucks were a lot slower than they are now drafting them was common practice. The A11 used to be a popular route for army convoys going nowhere in particular and if one such ambled past on a Sunday morning while you were riding a time trial on the E1 course at Quendon you knew your luck was in - and you'd generally find you were in the company of a few who'd started after you and were already there.

We didn't take drugs, but we weren't riding clean...

BTW, I'm surprised none of you anoraks noticed she was astride a fabled Curley Hetchins frame.

 

[young Ed]

on a serious note though, seeing as i both cycle and drive rigs that would be tempting to draft for some (tractors and trailers) i feel i have enough experience now to say that i really don't recommend it! one that put a shiver down my spine was a honda car sticking close to my rig that day consisting of a small 65hp tractor towing a 6.5 ton tipping trailer (i would estimate my total weight that day to be about 6-8 ton and the honda must have weighed no more than 2 ton so i weighed 3-4 times what it did) and i had to quickly brake sharply and stop, the honda driver woke up darn quick and when he nearly hit my big steel rear bumper on the trailer!
i can imagine that could have easily ended worse, and it might not be so comfortable if a cyclist were to be drafting and hit my trailer full of muck, or if they were to be hanging on for a lift they might have ended up head first in my load of muck!

lesson is is pisses the driver of the large vehicle off, is dangerous and could end up with you head first in a load of cow shoot!
Cheers Ed