Road Cycling - Etiquette

I am new to road cycling so all you veterans have to help me out. If I am out cruising on my favorite bike trail and another cyclist passes me up at brisk pace, is proper etiquette to draft behind him? Or maybe even pass him? What about keeping pace with a group of cyclist? I am kind of competitive and just looking for some fun. I will probably join a club eventually, but I just want to get the hang of it for now.

Boomer, as far as I am concerned it's all okay, provided that you announce your presence and otherwise communicate. You will find, though, that some riders will not like you passing them by. Big ego's get hurt quite easily. ;) Have fun on the road! :)

I think it is totally OK but be sure to observe the person you are wheel sucking a little bit for you latch on close. Some folks have a habit of stoping the pedals a few times a minute.

There was a two or three page thread about this same subject not long ago.

I am new to road cycling so all you veterans have to help me out. If I am out cruising on my favorite bike trail and another cyclist passes me up at brisk pace, is proper etiquette to draft behind him? Or maybe even pass him? What about keeping pace with a group of cyclist? I am kind of competitive and just looking for some fun. I will probably join a club eventually, but I just want to get the hang of it for now.


I always ask before I grab some stangers wheel.... Most people probably won't mind as long as you take your turn pulling. I don't think there is any etiquette about passing, other than announcing that you're there. I pass and get passed all the time, no biggy....

Dean

I agree with everyone, I aways ask and most of the time it's ok. They need to know your close behind them in case they stop! If your an alert rider you should be able to tell if someone is close to you anyway, but it is a courtesy thing to announce your presence. As others have also said, some have huge egos and will more then likely not answer you and attempt to pull away from you just to show you up.

I am new to road cycling so all you veterans have to help me out. If I am out cruising on my favorite bike trail and another cyclist passes me up at brisk pace, is proper etiquette to draft behind him? Or maybe even pass him? What about keeping pace with a group of cyclist? I am kind of competitive and just looking for some fun. I will probably join a club eventually, but I just want to get the hang of it for now.

the golden rule is applicable here. put yourself in the other person's shoes. if they look like they are concentrating on what they are doing and show no interest in what you're doing, chances are they don't want you hanging off of them. if they are friendly, then ask. when in doubt, leave them be.

I have met a lot of good people by riding togther as we pass along the trail. Some are good to ride with, and some are on a solitary mission.

If someone passes and you want to hang on, just let them know. As a saftey issue more than anything. If the guy dosent want you there, they he should drop the hammer and try to break away, or wave you off. If he can't, he shouldn't have passed, IMHO. If you settle in together, do your share of the pulling, if you can. Note: Triathalon riders are not allowed to draft, so if you see someone on a tri rig, they will not want to draft, or expect you to be on their wheel.

If you can pass him, go for it. When I pass a serious rider, I assume that they are on my wheel until I can look and see differently.

Most groups are drafting when you get there. Just let the guy in back know that he has someone behind him. If they are taking turns pulling, do your share.

Don't overlap wheels if you are drafting. The guy in front may have to swerve to avoid something. Keep your hands on your brakes. You cannot see as well as the guy pulling. You don't want to run over him if he has to grab the brakes. If there is a hill, leave a little extra room. If he stands up on the pedals, his bike will actually jump back towards you.

Was coming back from a club ride the other day when i happened to see a bloke on a racing bike ahead of me so i decided to put the hammer down and rocketed past him just as he was approaching an incline..you know what's it's like..competitive spirit and all that.. I kept on going like the clappers for half a mile or so then looked round to see he wasn't there so i relaxed. Stopped at a set of traffic lights further down the road and heard the unclipping of cleats behind me. I didn't turn round but assumed it was the bloke i left behind earlier on. The lights changed and too my not complete surprise saw him fly past me and continue to set a great pace down the road..upon seeing this i gave chase until we both came to another incline,,well small hill actually where i proceeded to rocket up it and catch him at the top..he didn't look too pleased and said something to me which i didn't quite catch..but i was absolutely delighted thinking it was all good fun..anyway we both went our separate ways. The next day upon arriving at the meeting point for the Sunday club ride i saw the same bloke !..i thought i'd recognised him from the club web site but couldn't be sure..turned out he was a geezer and really friendly..we both went on the same ride and nattered and chattered for ages..he's a very knowledgeable chap and a good laugh too :)

the golden rule is applicable here. put yourself in the other person's shoes. if they look like they are concentrating on what they are doing and show no interest in what you're doing, chances are they don't want you hanging off of them. if they are friendly, then ask. when in doubt, leave them be.

I agree with that.
If I am passing someone, I will usually say a quick hello or wave my hand as I go by. Most of the time, I am doing specific training and it is annoying to have someone try and jump your wheel and sit there on you for as long as they can hold out and try to "attack" you.

I totally see where they are coming from- A free wheel to draft off of for awhile- no big deal. If I'm just spinning than a conversation is always nice or if I don't feel social than a couple "how's the weather's" and "see ya around's" is nice.

It doesn't bother me unless I am really hitting a fast tempo. If I am by myself and hitting a good tempo and someone drafts off me, then they better start doing some work or I get annoyed. At that speed, if someone is on you than it obliges the person doing all the work to start pointing out obstacles in the road, turns, oncoming cars, etc. I can no longer focus on MY ride and have to start thinking about it as a "group" ride.

If someone I pass jumps onto my wheel and then takes off ahead, I don't care UNLESS they can't keep up the pace and I have to re-pass them only to have them draft off me again only to "attack" again. Sorry, that's called a wheelsucker and it's annoying.

The worst thing is no communication. If someone says, "Can I jump on your wheel" or "thanks for the pull" - that is totally cool.

Wow, I almost agree with everything RacerX says for a change ;)

I have to admit though - things were a lot friendlier in the late 80's. All roadies would wave or acknowledge eachother, pull turns etc. Now I just feel like I'm looked upon as another potential competitor, even on a cruisey afternoon ride.

I blame two things for this. One - too many Yuppies have discovered road cycling in the past 10 years, and Two - Road cycling has become way too serious. :) When I started on the road for the first time, it was in the outer 'burbs where most of the riders were more working class or first generation Europeans. Those guys were fun, but these cityboy racer types? No so fun.

Maybe my new bright orange steel bike emblazoned with Tasmanian tiger stripes will help change all that. :)

if someone is on you then it obliges the person doing all the work to start pointing out obstacles in the road, turns, oncoming cars, etc. I can no longer focus on MY ride and have to start thinking about it as a "group" ride.

If there's only one guy (maybe two) behind me, I figure they can still see parked cars, so I only point to the occasional pothole. The only real concern I have is that they might crash into me if I have to slow suddenly.

If I'm doing a specific routine I don't wan't the 'drafter' to do any work, especially if I'm doing a hard aerobic session; it will just cause my my heart rate to fall.

On the whole, you "Northern Hemispherians" seem to be fortunate. I've participated in a few sports over the years, and, in Australia, I'd say there's no sport more ego-driven, snob-filled, or jerkoff-littered than cycling!

As "Thylo" said, back in ye olde 80s everyone waved to everyone, but no more. :cry: My theory is that it started when triathlons hit the scene. It used to be just roadies or trackies out on the road, but when these flowerpot-heads came along (they were the first to wear helmets), it all changed. :(
When you role past someone, you're right next to them; you say "g'day", then they totally ignore you -- what do ya do?!?

Maybe they just snob me off because I ride a 531 frame, don't wear matching top and pants (shock, horror), and still wear my Eddie Merckx Adidas shoes that I bought in 1987. :D

531Aussie, you have to realize that cycling is just competetive in nature and that certain individuals in any given group of guys is going to want to extend themselves at times; ya know, go strong. Doesn't make cyclist any more the jerk than anyone else. I say it's human nature to get on a machine such as the bike and realize your getting better and better at it and just want to get animal on it at times. We have to be able to communicate with fellow bikers and try to make allowances for each others behaviors on the bike (that is unless you want to get into fights or walk around angry all the time). I find that most are very friendly and go out of their way to make kind gestures in passing. No offense but I think you may be projecting some kind of anger onto cyclists from something that has pissed you off in the past. The jerks are out there for sure; make allowances for them when encountered and look for the cool people out there cause they are surely out there as well and I would argue in bigger numbers than the arrogant types of cyclist. Above all, have as much fun as possible on the bike cause life is short, and sadly we dont' get to ride one forever. :(

Obviously there are more "humans" than idiots, but I still maintain there's a massive snob factor amongst cyclists in Melbourne.

I know what it is -- I still wear toe clips!

I know what it is -- I still wear toe clips!

That's it. You're banned from the forum. :D