I want to be alone (or how to be barred from the fraternity of cyclists)

[yello]

I did a popular local randonée yesterday. There were 5 distances, all 'out and backs', and all shared the same final 20km section. At around 15km from the finish, I approached a bloke moving at a considerably lesser pace them me. As I passed, I said 'hello'*, he nodded back and I trundled on. Then I become that he has taken my rear wheel.

Now, as a rule, I ride alone. I don't take other peoples wheels and I don't like it being done to me. If that makes me a grumpy old sod then I plead guilty. It's not about wheel suckers or not wanting to work with someone (which I do on the odd occasions I might ride a sportive), it's simply that I usually like to ride alone. It can spoil my enjoyment of a ride to have a companion, much less a 'hanger on'.

So I slowed up. He slows... it starts getting tactical like track racing! He eventually passes and carries on, again at his slower pace. I let him go a number of yards before I pass him again. He attaches himself again. I slow up again. He slows. Eventually, the penny drops with him - I don't want to ride with him. 'Ok'* he shouts at me, seemingly quite aggrieved. I carry on and enjoy the rest of my ride - on my own! Guess I'm just not part of the team!

(* this is France, it was actually bonjour and d'accord)

 

[Peter Armstrong]

Get out of the saddle and drop him!

 

[Cuchilo]

A snot rocket normally does the trick ( if you are vile enough to do one )

 

[Joshua Plumtree]

Yep- sprint off up the road before taking the first available left!

 

[ianrauk]

Instead of all the games, couldn't you of just said sorry but you like to cycle alone?

 

[Archie_tect]

15km isn't that far to put up with it when it happens yello and then when you finish you can enjoy a friendly exchange instead of being embarrassed by the whole thing.

 

[Joshua Plumtree]

Or maybe mention all the 'family issues' you're having at the moment.
How you just had to get out and ride yer bike to relieve the stress, and how great it was to have someone, albeit a complete stranger, to confide in!

 

[fossyant]

Instead of all the games, couldn't you of just said sorry but you like to cycle alone?

Too obvious.

If someone want's my wheel I don't mind. I'll be careful of snot rockets, and point out potholes. Just ignore them. Ride at your own pace and be done with it. I had a chap that I caught on a long climb that kept coming past me, then slow so I'd drop him, then he would attack me again. I just kept at the same speed, and eventually he blew up and I never saw him again for the next 30 miles (on a sportive).

 

[yello]

15km isn't that far to put up with it when it happens

I thought it was!

I'm afraid I don't like to make concessions to my enjoyment. I'm selfish, fully admit it and make no excuses.

Or maybe mention all the 'family issues' you're having at the moment.

I like that! I'll have to remember it should it happen again
.

 

[Dogtrousers]

You should have stopped for a wee, to see if he followed you behind the bush.

 

[Dragonwight]

Been there , i stopped let this guy go for what seemed an age and I still caught up with him, forced to go by him again suddenly he is well fast and all over your back wheel. It does leave you with the desire to punch them.

 

[helston90]

Your initial pass should have been so fast he couldn't have suckered on, failing that as said stop for a w€€

 

[Crankarm]

I did a popular local randonée yesterday. There were 5 distances, all 'out and backs', and all shared the same final 20km section. At around 15km from the finish, I approached a bloke moving at a considerably lesser pace them me. As I passed, I said 'hello'*, he nodded back and I trundled on. Then I become that he has taken my rear wheel.

Now, as a rule, I ride alone. I don't take other peoples wheels and I don't like it being done to me. If that makes me a grumpy old sod then I plead guilty. It's not about wheel suckers or not wanting to work with someone (which I do on the odd occasions I might ride a sportive), it's simply that I usually like to ride alone. It can spoil my enjoyment of a ride to have a companion, much less a 'hanger on'.

So I slowed up. He slows... it starts getting tactical like track racing! He eventually passes and carries on, again at his slower pace. I let him go a number of yards before I pass him again. He attaches himself again. I slow up again. He slows. Eventually, the penny drops with him - I don't want to ride with him. 'Ok'* he shouts at me, seemingly quite aggrieved. I carry on and enjoy the rest of my ride - on my own! Guess I'm just not part of the team!

(* this is France, it was actually bonjour and d'accord)

Your mistake was to say Hello. You should have just ridden past him. It was an invitation for him to join you.

Yesterday I had a numptee on 29er hybrid busting a gut to catch me who I saw in my mirrors a long way back. He just drifted by me then eased off about 10m in front of me. Suffice to say I continued at my same cadence and easily caught him as he faded. He was wearing Sports Direct football clothing and trainers on flat pedals and plugged into a phone/i-pod. Anyway not wanting to wheel suck I slowed a bit and moved right so I was out of his air stream and not wheel sucking, expecting him to see me and ride off into the distance having passed me in the first place. Just trying to be courteous to him. But no the nobber just sits in front of me gradually slowing and making me slower and pissing me off. So after about a mile I had had enough of this and went by him. As I did so he tried to jump on my rear wheel, I slowed and he slowed. I rode for a bit at a low cadence of about 80-85 and 15-16mph hoping he'd come by but no he was sucking my rear wheel hoping to get an easy ride behind me and my heavy panniers. I wasn't having this so I rode away from him, him struggling to keep up even though he didn't have any panniers, watching him in my mirrors. Unfortunately we were riding into a strongish headwind. The nobber wasn't quite drafting me but was a little too close for my liking. As we approached Over I slowed about 100m before the end which allowed him to close the gap right up close to my rear wheel. We road across the junction and onto the next section to Oakington and he tried to stay with me again as I rode up to about 28-30mph, but becoming more annoyed with his close proximity behind I slowed to let him pass but he didn't, preferring to suck my wheel instead, so I gestured him to come by and told him if he wanted to ride faster than me I wasn't stopping him, but that he wasn't going to sit on my rear wheel when I was riding with heavy panniers doing all the work into a head wind and he carrying and doing nothing. He told me he was only out for a pleasant bike and I was so rude that he didn't know what I was talking about. I told him I was riding to work and didn't want him sucking my rear wheel and go to fnck off find some one else to annoy and get a free to fromw. Now f**k off! He then continued to try to draft me even after he could clearly see I had rumbled him and pretty annoyed to he was still trying to do it. Seeking confrontation ……. So again I slowed, again and he did so I told him to get lost in no uncertain terms. F****g nobber. Then I almost came to a stop letting him ride on a head letting him get about 100m ahead before I turned on the gas again. Though it was clear I was slowly catching him riding at my usual pace. Anyway just before we came to the Oakington junction he pulled to the side got off his bike and started fiddling with something or himself and I passed by, I not saying anything and he shouted something which I didn't quite get or nor care. I hoped this wasn't a pretext to trying to get behind me and suck my wheel again as I would have seriously lumped him one. I rode on to Cambridge, I couldn't see him in my mirrors. I hate riding at weekends on the GBW so many weekend nobber cyclists.

 

[MikeG]

........ I hate riding at weekends on the GBW.........

GBW?

 

[Crankarm]

Correct