General Cycling Discussion - Drafting etiquette

I was riding yesterday on the street on my mountain bike when I passed up a road cyclist who sped up to draft off me, less than a foot off my rear wheel.

After about a 1/4 mile of this, I pulled to the side, slowed down, and let him pass. As he passed, I politely said, 'If you're going to ride someone else's wheel, for safety and courtesy's sake you should at least let him know you're there.'

This other cyclist immediately became irrate and screamed back, 'What the f*** are you talking about?!??! I don't have you let you know anything!!!!'

Clearly this other cyclist brought some baggage 'to the table' that had nothing to do with me. I kind of felt sorry for him.

Anyway, tell me this: when did it become cool to ride someone else's wheel without at least announcing yourself? I wasn't concerned so much that this guy was getting the benefit of my labor without so much as a hello. I was concerned that he was so close to me, that if I slowed or stopped suddenly for whatever reason, he was going to collide with me.

Etiquette says you at least annouce yourself if you're going to draft, right? And if you do, you're supposed to offer to take the lead once-in-awhile, right (not that this guy got the chance to)?

TIA

I always announce my presence, usually asking if they mind my sitting in for a minute. After a couple of minutes I offer to take a pull even if the other cyclist is obviously much stronger, which is almost always the case!

OR...you could take it as a complement that you were riding smooth enough to draft.

Or...he might have not wanted to "spook" you by a sudden masculine voice right at your ear (you know what the path walkers do when you sneak and speak.

And you probably scared the poor little booger when you spoke to him with your manly presents.

Honestly I have no problem with someone drafting me.... he/she might have rode to far and are doing anything to make it home. And if the draft too long I slid to the side, brake hard, and say "your turn" as they pass, and slid in behind.... maybe we can both go faster and I make a new friend.

Originally posted by jatkins679

This other cyclist immediately became irrate and screamed back, 'What the f*** are you talking about?!??! I don't have you let you know anything!!!!'


I think this was way out of line - That guy is a piece of crap for talking (yelling) to you like that.

If you don't like somone on your wheel - do what you did, pull over and let them pass.

I have had people just draft me before (in fact I have posted about it). If I wanted to draft with somebody, I would ride up to them and offer to pull first. I find that it is just plain rude to hop on somebody's wheel, not to mention the safety concerns already mentioned.

Originally posted by sscyco
If you don't like somone on your wheel - do what you did, pull over and let them pass.

Or .... stomp on the pedals and drop them like 3rd period French class!!!! :D

I have had this happen before and my favorite thing to do is drop em. I will alter my route if necessary to find a gradual or even steep hill to loose them on. If they can stay on my wheel I will then pull off and tell them it is their turn (potential training partner). If I drop em I just keep on trucking........

Most folks I meet drop off once the pace starts to better 24-26 MPH.

What is very irritating is when someone in a group ride sucks wheels for 59 of 60 miles and sprints away at the end so they can look cool being first back to the parking lot.

Once someone pulls this stunt I make it a point to tell them they will help pull next time or I'll push them off into the ditch.

I might have just powered up and ditched this guy except that we were coming up to an intersection with an all-ways stop. I was concerned that he was just going to try to blow through it, while I stopped, causing a potentially dangerous situation for me.

(Yes, he did blow through the intersection w/o stopping or even slowing down, BTW.)

I'm with Spire, I find it rude. If I wanted a riding partner I would of found one, and I surely don't want you to come up with out asking and let me pull your ass along.

All this bad mouthing makes me glad I'm the lone ranger around here!

I always wanted to try drafting but now I'm not so sure about it. BTW what is a safe distance to draft? :confused:

I'm confused by all the negative comments and that make me want to keep my distance from anyone!

You should be flattered... a roadie drafting an mtb!

I hate it when cyclists act like drivers. It takes a higher degree of b*ttheadedness, when you aren't isolated by the metal and glass box. It's not the drafting, it's the principal. I mean, why not just say 'Hi,' and sort of assume we're friends until proven otherwise.

Last spring I did my longest ride (at that time) 60 mi. the last half was very hilly (for our area) with a headwind about as bad as you can get. Toward the end of the ride several guys drafted off of me, then they'd zoom off to the next person to hide behind.

I wanted to say "Hey if you can go this slow behind me for a few minutes, Why can't you ride in front of me and give ME a break". Next time I will say something. It is only right.

God, I wish I had the testrone of the young. Or maybe the snobery...

Guys, if you are that damn macho...maybe you need to find a "HEMAN, YOUNG GUY NEVER GET OLD, F**K EVERYBODY" forum.

I like to think that anyone that rides is my friend and I know I do not have enough friends.

If someone needs/wants to draft with me...I welcome the company...I'm not in competion with anyone.....if you are, then get your butt to the races and see what you are made of, other wise put your thing back in your pants and be nice to other riders.

I know that I am blowing steam, but come on, if you think you can race Lance...do it...do not just pound an empty drum here!

I don't mind if you want to draft me. Just say "hi" and let me know you are there. If you aren't strong enough to take a pull, that's OK. If you are strong enough, I would appreciate a tow, too.

Just don't ride up on me, suck my wheel and then pull away without so much as a "thanks" or "bugger off." That's just rude.

Originally posted by jatkins679
Etiquette says you at least annouce yourself if you're going to draft, right? And if you do, you're supposed to offer to take the lead once-in-awhile, right (not that this guy got the chance to)?

Right, and right.

Originally posted by uciflylow
I always wanted to try drafting but now I'm not so sure about it. BTW what is a safe distance to draft? :confused:

drafting does not have to be a negative experience...

if you are going to hang on someone's wheel and you do not know them, then you better at least tell them, (it's just polite) if it is someone you know then other rules may apply. I ride with a group of people often and we draft off each other without saying a word, normally forming a paceline. Pacelines only work if everyone pulls, you cannot hang on and not pull, it is a group effort.

As for safe distances, I've gotten within inches of a rear wheel of a friend, drafting. If the person in front is experienced then they will know not to brake suddenly (or at all for that matter) and hold a straight line. If you are drafting with an unknown then you had better provide some space, as they might brake or ride all over the road causing a hazard.

I've never had someone come up behind me and draft, but I wouldn't mind if they did. If they're a weaker rider, I don't mind to pull them along, if they're as strong or stronger than me, I would appreciate a break in return, but if they didn't, no big deal, that just means a better workout anyway. In my group rides, we all form a line and take turns pulling, we go about 30 mph, it's nice to be in the back going that fast, feeling like you can go faster! But pulling at that pace can get to be hard work, so we change who's pulling pretty frequently.

Yes he must have had baggage. And he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. When I am riding solo, I don't really make a big effort to be consistent and predictable. If someone was drafting me and I did not know it, well they could end up bumping my rear wheel and going down. And it would serve them right if they did. I am aware enough, though that people can not "sneak up" on me like that (or at least not usually). So you should always ask to draft.

The guy you ran into was 1) rude and 2) stupid (at least about drafting). It wouldn't have killed him to ask to draft, take a turn at pulling you and thanked you for your consideration. I like to have as many friends out there as possible.

I've got a situation that has happened to me quite a bit and I'm wondering what I should do. There have been times when there is a rider behind me and we are pretty much matching pace (or vice versa, I'm behind and him/her is in front). We are separated by anywhere from 100 yards to 500 yards. Then we come to an intersection and the first person has to wait for cars (or whatever) and by the time they move on, the second person has caught up and is able to go with them. So then you have two riders that are keeping the same pace and are right next to each other. Is it rude to just sit on their wheel? I've been in this situation several times... sometimes I coast a bit to let them take a lead so I'm not right on their wheel, but what usually happens is that I just end up coasting behind them and drafting and they never really pull out. And since we are about equal, I don't feel like passing them just to barely make it... and then they end up sitting on my wheel. I normally don't pass unless I'm really going to pass and then take a lead on them. I guess just asking them if they mind me sitting on their wheel is ok. I like to draft and I'm always willing to take my turn at a pull. But I seem to run into people that have no clue what drafting is at all.

Also, I have to wonder... I always know if someone is behind me. Either I hear them, or I see them during one of my "rear checks". True, they may sneak up on me, but they won't be there for long without me knowing. I think you should always be aware of what is around you. If someone is sucking your wheel for several miles without you knowing that's a problem in my book (JMHO).


PBW

I wish I could get close enough to draft anyone...

I wish I had someone to draft with in this whole county.:D

Uciflylow, I road on Friday around 18:00. My wake should be in your neck of the woods soon. See if you can catch it..:rolleyes:

So that's why the wind almost always blows from the west around here!:D