The idiot on my back wheel

[Crankarm]

On the London 100 (shortened to 86 thanks to the American hurricane) a very pleasant woman cyclist got on my back wheel and rode along with me for a while, probably happy that I was one of the few who had fitted protection to prevent her from getting a face full of spray. We alternated with our efforts for a few miles and enjoyed some great intercourse until I experienced a sudden deflation and she left me.

It only takes a hole in your rubber to mean game over.

 

[Kestevan]

I can't say it really bothers me, but there are a few things the drafter should be aware of.

I'm not pointing out hazards.
i'm going to ride in the same manner as if you were not there.
If I have to slow or stop I will do, without informing you.
Oh and if you run in to me at any point, for whatever reason I'm going to twat you.

The ones that really boil my urine however are the guys who hate being passed. You overtake them and then they suddenly speed up, and either hang on for dear life or worse pass you and immediately slow down again. My favorite way to deal with these parasites is to find a nice long hill and slowly increase the speed, ideally so they don't get dropped immediately. Done properly you can wring one of these clowns out so that by the top they're absolutely spent.

 

[albion]

I think it was Boardman who said it was 3% less energy needed for the front rider.
That likely being a more real world figure.


It is quite fascinating to see who and who doesn't see bike space as being their own little castle.

 

[fimm]

None distance? Not even 50 yards?

I think people have not understood Longshot's question, which as I understand it, is as follows: Mr Longshot is cycling along when out of a side road appears another cyclist in front of Longshot. It soon becomes apparent that the two cyclists are traveling at the same speed. Longshot does not wish to overtake the other cyclist. What distance should he leave between himself and the cyclist in front?

For what it is worth, in triathlons where drafting is not allowed you are told to leave 7 meters between yourself and the bike in front. That's about the length of a bus. That might be impractical in busy urban areas!

 

[Ganymede]

I think it was Boardman who said it was 3% less energy needed for the front rider.
That likely being a more real world figure.


It is quite fascinating to see who and who doesn't see bike space as being their own little castle.

Well if anyone rode close to me without agreement I think I would be antsy. Also I do think that there is the feeling for some people that the bike is the de-stressor, the bloke's shed-on-wheels where mental freedom and carefree travel combine (and competitiveness and technical obsession, obv!) so having an unwanted encroachment on that is going to be more than annoying.

 

[John the Monkey]

I think people have not understood Longshot's question, which as I understand it, is as follows: Mr Longshot is cycling along when out of a side road appears another cyclist in front of Longshot. It soon becomes apparent that the two cyclists are traveling at the same speed. Longshot does not wish to overtake the other cyclist. What distance should he leave between himself and the cyclist in front?

Ah, right. I reckon on a minimum of three or four bike lengths, meself. "Able to stop within the distance you can see to be clear."

 

[summerdays]

I'm probably comfortable with about two bike lengths behind me as long as it isn't for miles after that it can get a bit creepy as I slow on hills so much that most would past me at that point.

 

[albion]

3 or 4 ?

I once recall that I was at about 8 lengths going into Morpeth and this guy was getting agitated looking back non stop to see if he had not dropped me. Like many cyclists I get into a relaxed slow state so being woken up by being passed is a hint to get moving.

When passing someone I near enough never look back. I'm simply doing my own thing which does not change one iota if I've encouraged someone to keep pace. And I guess looking back is usually an acknowledgement of fragility, we do see that all the time in racing.

 

[winjim]

When I pass someone I always shoulder check, but only to make sure that I've cleared them ok and everyone is safe. I do worry, however, that they think I'm checking to see if I've dropped them and trying to turn it into a race. I'm not, honest!

 

[Globalti]

There's a simple way of defusing all this antagonism and tension: just ride alongside the other person and have a pleasant chat with them. If necessary, ask them if they mind you jumping on for a few miles.

A few weeks ago I took a South African customer out for a ride round some of my local roads in the Ribble valley. I was tired from a ride the previous day and he was younger than me, bigger, well muscled and supposedly a triathlete. Yet he sat on my wheel for the entire day, churning along in the big ring. When we reached Jeffrey Hill, a short but steep local shortcut, he set off in the big ring. "You'll need that small ring!" said I. "Should be okay!" he replied and off he went like a rat up a drinpipe. Half way up I met him coming back down, fiddling with the shifters. I thought he had actually broken the chain but now, thinking about his lack of pace-sharing skill, I am beginning to wonder if he actually knew how to use the front gears. The day before our ride he had texted asking if his Shimano cleats would work with our Look pedals, so I'm beginning to think my doubts about his experience were well-founded.

 

[Crankarm]

I think it was Boardman who said it was 3% less energy needed for the front rider.
That likely being a more real world figure.


It is quite fascinating to see who and who doesn't see bike space as being their own little castle.

So is this why he spent much of his time wheel sucking ?

 

[Crankarm]

I just can't abide free loaders.

 

[cd365]

Whilst commuting home last night I saw a cyclist a couple of hundred yards away from me, I was catching him up but not chasing him, up a short hill he pulled away. It looked like to me he was training to a certain cadence. Down a hill I caught him and passed him, he sat on my wheel for the next mile, then came past, said "thanks for the tow", sprinted clear then took the next left. It didn't bother me at all.

Sunday I sat on the wheel of a cyclist I had caught, he appeared to be a better cyclist than me so didn't want to overtake, thinking he would go a different way to me, he didn't, I pulled in front for a while, then he pulled alongside and we had a chat. It was all very pleasant.

 

[John the Monkey]

Cool.

I had someone run into the back of me when I had to make a stop - the impact forced one of my canti brakes under my wheel rim, making a nice scratch on a pretty new rim, and necessitating 5 minutes or so of work to free it and make the bike rideable again. All fairly low speed too.

So personally, I don't like it, not from people I don't know, and I don't slipstream people I don't know.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

I think I'd just stop look back at the culprit and ask them if they're going to sit there all night because I'm not moving until they're gone.