Overtaking and its various etiquettes

[potsy]

Obviously he was on a Strava segment, once over he could go back to normal pace

 

[HovR]

A similar thing happened to me yesterday, except when the lead rider slowed down, and you held back - I overtook, and he took it as a signal to race.

Conclusion: We're pretty even on the flat, with him possibly being a little bit faster than me - However I can climb much better. All those months of training on a 5 speed have really increased my climbing capability!

 

[redcard]

It's a good idea, if you're potentially getting into a race, to hang behind, making sure he knows you're there, he'll speed up, and if you can keep pace and still feel like you have a bit more in the tank then give yourself 50 years before mullering him.

If he pulls away and you can't keep pace you can pretend you were never really bothered about racing anyway

 

[HovR]

If he pulls away and you can't keep pace you can pretend you were never really bothered about racing anyway

The worst is when you're powering along giving it all you've got, and you can hear them having to freewheel behind you to not collide with your back wheel.

Never happened to me, obviously.

 

[Mugshot]

and still feel like you have a bit more in the tank then give yourself 50 years before mullering him.

The commute isn't really that long, and I'm not too sure I've got that amount of time left anyway

 

[Boris Bajic]

There are no two identical situations, so there is no stock answer.

It sounds as if your own sense of decency stood in the way of your enjoyment of your ride, so I'd be inclined to say pass the guy if it happens again. Your passing him wouldn't have affected the quality of his ride, but not doing so seems to have blunted yours.

Some riders actually want you to pass them after a while to 'take your turn'.

Some are just SCR types who like to have races they're pretending don't exist, so they can crow about them (online or elsewhere) later. These SCR types (from their posts) will say things like "I knew the roundabout can be greasy, so I held back and was happy to let him pass me there". A normal human response would be an audible warning, but that is not how some SCR folk work it. I'm not above puerile competition on the highway myself, but for some there is a slightly sneering side to it.*

Many riders are just out for a nice ride, think they can pass you and then realise that the exertion has blunted their enthusiasm and velocity.

Riders are (rightly) touchy about being drafted by people they don't know, so if you're getting close and have the puff, go past. It may make things more amusing for you both.

I was tickled a few weeks ago when on a 70-mile ride into S Wales with my 13yo yoingest child. Johnny Lycra on his Carbo-Missile came past us and we each got a cheery hello. Further up the road, the boy said (quite huffily) "I could have done without the sarcasm". His reading of the comment was "Hello, aren't you slow compared with me!". As far as I could tell, the guy was just being civil. Different people see different things in passes and overtakes, but it's all OK as long as it doesn't inconvenience or endanger the other party.

 

[Kiwiavenger]

If i see another cyclist on my commute i will always try and either overtake them or at least catch them! happened this morning, guy had about 400-500 yrds on me through my uphill bit caught him just before a downhill to a roundabout, was fun!!

 

[ManiaMuse]

Deliberately wobbling and making yourself look like a nervous cyclist is a good way to stop someone from sucking your wheel...

...or just sprinting like a badass generally gets your point across.

 

[Slartibartfast]

What you should have done is this.

Firstly, don't overtake him straight away, that's too good for him. Just pull along side him and stare at him as if to say 'I could take you anytime, punk. Then, nonchalantly take a match from your pocket, strike it on your stubble and light a cigarette (no-handed of course). Then with one final look of disdain, saunter off over the horizon leaving him a broken shell of a man.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk

 

[Arfcollins]

Far too nice this morning to be doing much more than a steady cruise to work, when I get overtaken by a lycra clad chappy on a nice looking Specialized, "Mmmuuhh" he said, "Morning" I chirp back. It's so so rare to see another bike travelling in the same direction as me that it's a rather pleasant surprise.
Anyway, I wonder how long I'll be able to stick with him before he disappears off into the distance, he's got his lycra and his nice road bike, he must be awesome, the realisation stikes me that people may view me in the same way
BUT, he slows, 100 yds or so from where he came past me there's a little hillock followed by a gentle incline and I'm having to hold right back to stop myself from overtaking him, the road levels off and still he's holding me up then to really add insult to injury the final section of my commute is a nice hill which gives an easy 30+ mph, and he goes down it with his brakes on!!
The problem is we were only about 1.5 miles from the end of my commute and I was a little wary that if I'd gone past him he would have thought I was being a bit of arse trying to get him back for overtaking me and I didn't have that much distance to really build up a decent lead.
I dunno, should I have overtaken or not? I guess the moral is if you're going to overtake, make sure you're not going to blow up immediately after doing so.

As others have said, it's your call whether to overtake or not. Don't be too hard on the poor lycra man, he may be new to the road and doesn't have much confidence yet to let rip on the downhill.

 

[BrazingSaddles]

Rule #38
// Don’t Play Leap Frog.
Especially don’t do this just because the person overtaking you is a woman.

Errr....do guys do this when they see a lovely lady cyclist? Own up now chaps - I'm interested!

 

[BrazingSaddles]

I had someone "suck my wheel" when I was on my touring bike with a full camping load (think it was Switzerland)...he was on his road bike. What a twit!

Anyway, it never fails to amuse me when a chap races past me on a flat section, for me to over-take him up the next hill...me carrying my heavy panniers.

 

[Peowpeowpeowlasers]

I got overtaken in the last mile of my ride today (about 35 miles). Tired legs and just cruising at about 13-15mph but this lad on a mountain bike overtook me. I was incensed. His little legs lasted about a minute before he ran out of puff and dropped into oblivion

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

Better to have scalped and lost than never have scalped at all.

 

[redcard]

There are no two identical situations, so there is no stock answer.

It sounds as if your own sense of decency stood in the way of your enjoyment of your ride, so I'd be inclined to say pass the guy if it happens again. Your passing him wouldn't have affected the quality of his ride, but not doing so seems to have blunted yours.

Some riders actually want you to pass them after a while to 'take your turn'.

Some are just SCR types who like to have races they're pretending don't exist, so they can crow about them (online or elsewhere) later. These SCR types (from their posts) will say things like "I knew the roundabout can be greasy, so I held back and was happy to let him pass me there". A normal human response would be an audible warning, but that is not how some SCR folk work it. I'm not above puerile competition on the highway myself, but for some there is a slightly sneering side to it.*

Many riders are just out for a nice ride, think they can pass you and then realise that the exertion has blunted their enthusiasm and velocity.

Riders are (rightly) touchy about being drafted by people they don't know, so if you're getting close and have the puff, go past. It may make things more amusing for you both.

I was tickled a few weeks ago when on a 70-mile ride into S Wales with my 13yo yoingest child. Johnny Lycra on his Carbo-Missile came past us and we each got a cheery hello. Further up the road, the boy said (quite huffily) "I could have done without the sarcasm". His reading of the comment was "Hello, aren't you slow compared with me!". As far as I could tell, the guy was just being civil. Different people see different things in passes and overtakes, but it's all OK as long as it doesn't inconvenience or endanger the other party.

Like father like son.