Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - I dropped a roadie...

I was about 5 miles into my 34 mile ride this morning. The weather was warm, and the roadies have reemerged.

I passed a smaller, younger roadie on the North Branch MUP near Glencoe, IL. I was going about 19 mph he was clearly slower. I also kept my speed up.

I was surprised to find him right on my @ss a mile later, so I yelled “go-around”, pulled to the right and slowed.

The dumb-@ss hit me from behind. His right shoulder hit my left back-side and he went down!

I stopped, turned around and asked him if he was OK. No reply. I looked him over and asked again “are you OK," no reply. I told him that if he says nothing, I’m just going to leave.

As I rode away he said, “I didn’t expect you to slow down"!

Cry-baby! Is there any-way that I was at fault?

Michael

Great job ! Alaways nice to DROP some roadie GREAT job specialy if it was one a those complete kit $$$$ skiinny weight wennies ! :roflmao2: :thumb:

I saw one today obviously struggling from setting on his arse all winter I thought about turning around just to drop him on my Comfort bike :roflmao2:

And, it really hurt to have it done with a Crosstrail!!!! LOL

You shouldn't have slowed. He'd have gone around you if he could have. What you should have done was accelerate and leave him behind. IMO, you are partially at fault. If you hadn't slowed down, he wouldn't have run into you. Course, if he hadn't been drafting, he wouldn't have gone down either.

By "dropping a roadie" you leave him in the dust. Not knock him on his butt. Next time, really drop him. Don't slow down and make them run into you.

Incidentally, I'm now one of those skinny roadies that wears a "kit." Not all of the roadies started out skinny, some of us were Clyde's once.

You shouldn't have slowed. He'd have gone around you if he could have.


By "dropping a roadie" you leave him in the dust. Not knock him on his butt. Next time, really drop him. Don't slow down and make them run into you.


I understand that dropping a roadie means passing and leaving him/her behind. I actually did drop him, twice: once because I was faster, a second time because he had lost control of his bike after hitting another rider.

Michael

Something else occurs to me.

Bikes don't have brake lights like cars do. If you know someone is behind you, and close, then you need to signal that you intend to slow. There is a hand signal for slowing. http://www.inlandempirecycling.com/Cycling/hand_signals.htm

Something else occurs to me.

Bikes don't have brake lights like cars do. If you know someone is behind you, and close, then you need to signal that you intend to slow. There is a hand signal for slowing. http://www.inlandempirecycling.com/Cycling/hand_signals.htm

I know you intend well here, but... I asked him to "go-around”, ... I then pulled to the right... and... after a delay... stopped cranking.

I don't feel obligated to do more.

I've done this dozens of times in the last year. Everyone else just goes around.

This guy was determined to draft, come hell or high water. He found hell.

Michael

I know you intend well here, but... I asked him to pass... then pulled to the right... and... after a delay... stopped cranking.


If you had put that in your original post, I wouldn't have posted what I did. You didn't mention a delay after pulling right. You also said slowing, which I read as intentional active slowing/braking.

Pulling to the right, then after a delay, coasting instead of pedaling. That's a different scenario altogether.

He ought to have been paying more attention. Yup, no more from me on this.

Maybe he was hard of hearing.:eek:

If you slowed by braking, you'd be at fault, imo. If you slowed simply by stopping pedaling and he ran up your back, tough $hit for him.

Bottom line is riding is similar to driving a car in that the trailing vehicle is responsible in the case of contact.

I wouldn't say you were necessarily at fault, he shoulda been paying attention, but it was kinda wussy of you to give a crap whether he was on your wheel or not. You coulda just kept doing your ride. Making sudden moves when someone you don't know is in close proximity is tempting disaster...even if it is for the other guy most times.

You really dropped the guy.

He should have been paying more attention.

...it was kinda wussy of you to give a crap whether he was on your wheel or not...

I have to disagree and the suggestion creates a double bind. I'm told to not give a crap yet I'm also told not do anything unpredictable.

Huh?

What if I needed to avoid a pothole or glass on the pavement?

Michael

Not your fault bud. Roadie guy has to be pretty dumb to draft a guy on a non-road bike and then assume that he would know the drafting etiquette. Even so you warned him…

I have to disagree and the suggestion creates a double bind. I'm told to not give a crap yet I'm also told not do anything unpredictable.

Huh?

What if I needed to avoid a pothole or glass on the pavement?

Michael

What if little green men zapped you with a death ray? I suggested you just ride your ride and let the bozo on your wheel fend for himself...if something happens and it causes an accident, oh well, at least is wasn't YOU doing something because you feel pissy that caused it....I hope you can see the difference.

I mean really, why is someone on your wheel so intolerable to you? I know how you feel, I've felt the same way many times...hollering at them to do some work, slowing for them to pass, or just riding them off my wheel...but at least I can see that my reasoning is purely because I'm feeling pissy they have invaded my space. It's a character flaw in all of us that is kinda silly, don't you think? I guess I'm just trying to hold myself to a higher standard and taking it out on you. :o

What if little green men zapped you with a death ray? I suggested you just ride your ride and let the bozo on your wheel fend for himself...if something happens and it causes an accident, oh well, at least is wasn't YOU doing something because you feel pissy that caused it....I hope you can see the difference.

I mean really, why is someone on your wheel so intolerable to you? I know how you feel, I've felt the same way many times...hollering at them to do some work, slowing for them to pass, or just riding them off my wheel...but at least I can see that my reasoning is purely because I'm feeling pissy they have invaded my space. It's a character flaw in all of us that is kinda silly, don't you think? I guess I'm just trying to hold myself to a higher standard and taking it out on you. :mad:

Dude...

You shouldn't have slowed. He'd have gone around you if he could have. What you should have done was accelerate and leave him behind. IMO, you are partially at fault. If you hadn't slowed down, he wouldn't have run into you. Course, if he hadn't been drafting, he wouldn't have gone down either.

By "dropping a roadie" you leave him in the dust. Not knock him on his butt. Next time, really drop him. Don't slow down and make them run into you.

Incidentally, I'm now one of those skinny roadies that wears a "kit." Not all of the roadies started out skinny, some of us were Clyde's once.

+1 on thinking you meant leaving el roadie in the dust, not droping him to the ground.

On the rest...I don't know. I agree that the guy should not have hopped on your tail, especially not so close that you only slowing down caused him to run into you. But, you knew he was back there. And, it sounded like you slowed down rather abruptly, with little warning. That aint cool.

I say, you're both at fault. You may not want to do that again.

Next time, if you do not want a race, I'd suggest slowing very gradually and just letting him pass.

It helps to remember that certain people do not like getting passed, and that those are the people that tend to give an extra kick when it happens. When you pass someone, expect that you will have to blow them away. Do not expect that to go easy either.

Dude, your trolling :rolleyes:

How is admitting that I may be taking out my own standards on you trolling?
Do you even know what what a troll is?
If anything...posting a thread about how one drops some roadie, literal or otherwise, is a classic BF troll. :thumb:

i always go faster when someone is on my wheel, so I like it.

also if it was apparent he was a fair weather rider out for the first ride of the year, then he is a poser not a roadie...at least that is how I understand the definitions to stand. Every "roadie" I know has tons of trainer miles at this point in the season...this may put me into the aformentioned poaser catagory, but at least I am a faster than that poor guy!

Also if you simply stopped pedaling not your fault at all. If you slowed via braking then maybe just a little tiny bit, but still not really.

If you slammed on your brakes skidding to a stop, you still would not be at fault. Why would you draft a stranger on a MUP?

Poser for sure. A real "roadie" would not even be in the conversation; he would have been long gone.

When I go to pass someone on the MUP, I expect it to be a job. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes the person just disappears behind me. But, oftentimes, it is a job because the guy refuses to drop and wants to hang. It stinks, because I hate passing someone only to have them pass me again a minute later. So, then I have to push it.

Just say'n....expect that to happen.

I really did not expect the guy to hit me. When he did, I stopped to make sure that he was OK.

I never race when I ride. If I see a faster rider slow for water or traffic, I don't pass.

If I see a rider maintaining a slower pace, I'll pass and I never see them again.

This was different. He needed the draft to keep up with me and was intent on staying right there. When I saw that he was not going to pass, I told him to go around, pulled to the right edge of the path and slowed.

Any normal rider using minimal judgment would have gone around without any issue.

Michael

Poser for sure. A real "roadie" would not even be in the conversation; he would have been long gone.

When I go to pass someone on the MUP, I expect it to be a job. Sometimes it's not. Sometimes the person just disappears behind me. But, oftentimes, it is a job because the guy refuses to drop and wants to hang. It stinks, because I hate passing someone only to have them pass me again a minute later. So, then I have to push it.

Just say'n....expect that to happen.


Roadies ride the roads, muppets or muppies ride the MUPs. :D

And here I thought being a "roadie" just meant we rode our bikes on a paved road.

Pass the popcorn :munch-munch:

I have to disagree and the suggestion creates a double bind. I'm told to not give a crap yet I'm also told not do anything unpredictable.

Huh?

What if I needed to avoid a pothole or glass on the pavement?

Michael

Best way to get someone off your tail, lift your butt off the saddle and let a loud one go:D....

My personal rules on drafting are rather simple,

1) ask, so I know your there.
2) Be willing to take a turn pulling as well....

I have to disagree and the suggestion creates a double bind. I'm told to not give a crap yet I'm also told not do anything unpredictable.

Huh?

What if I needed to avoid a pothole or glass on the pavement?

Michael

You do the best you can to be predictable. That's all you can do, really.

MUPs are the domain of the unpredictable. Any modification of riding behavior virtually ensures that your solution to one problem will almost certainly be the cause of another.

MUPs are the domain of the unpredictable. Any modification of riding behavior virtually ensures that your solution to one problem will almost certainly be the cause of another.

I had almost forgotten how many people use these MUP's on nice weekends. With the crowds come a few idiots.

I learned to avoid the Chicago Lakefront MUP, except in winter, due to overuse. I'm lucky that most of my riding is during the week. I think I'll avoid the more popular MUP's between 9AM and 5PM on weekends. There are better places to ride.

Michael

It's the roadies fault. You said go around, and you pulled over. He obviously wasnt' paying attention. Kudos to you for pulling over to help him.

Best way to get someone off your tail, lift your butt off the saddle and let a loud one go:D....

My kids refer to that as rocket/turbo boost when they are in the trailer....
:innocent:

I don't like all this negative energy focused on "roadies". I like to think I am one, albeit a rather large version.

What's the beef? Cant' we all just get along?:cry:

I stopped, turned around and asked him if he was OK. No reply. I looked him over and asked again “are you OK," no reply. I told him that if he says nothing, I’m just going to leave.

As I rode away he said, “I didn’t expect you to slow down"!


Did he see your lips move the first two times you asked? When you said you were leaving?

Maybe he's deaf.

Even if he is, shameless wheelsucks get what they deserve.

Best way to get someone off your tail, lift your butt off the saddle and let a loud one go:D....


:roflmao2:

If I was an attorney for the "roadie" and we were seeking damages, I would use the thread to show a predispostion to cause harm due to some odd bias against my client.

PS -- Did the collision knock the chip off your shoulder?

My $.02 :
I find it disturbing that some of us in this community find glee in the crash (no matter what the cause) of a fellow cyclist, clyde, roadie, skinny, poser, newbie, wheelsucker or whatever.

It's just wrong.

LOL "droped" a roadie

I see what you did there :D

Maybe he didn't hear you. iPod or whatever.

Drafting a complete stranger on a MUP is a boneheaded move to begin with. I'm not saying the roadie deserved what he got (bike wrecks at 19 MPH suck, no matter who's at fault), but he should have known better.

-DR

Drafting rules are all good, for those of us who follow them. The problem OP ran into was an idiot hopping on his butt, uninvited.

I too have had people I've passed decide that they should begin drafting me, unannounced. You notice them on your tail after a few minutes and wonder, "what is it with this idiot? I would never just hop on some guy's Sass."

These folks are different. They do that.

I have learned how to avoid attracting such people, and have not had this issue for at least 2 years now. It basically comes down to what I said earlier: The "Lance-types" will do what it takes to hang with you -- that usually means they will draft. If you pass these guys, expect that you will have to hammer and drop. That or you MUST be willing to have them draft you.

Your only other option is to not pass these guys (you know who they are; it's obvious as you approach them). Take an H2O break and let the guy go.

Uninvited trailers are not welcome but with that being said, due care, caution, and courtesy needs to be used.

I had a guy on a road bike and full kit latch on to my back wheel when I was trying to set a new speed record on the bridge which is a straight and nearly flat kilometre and it was only after the crossing when I slowed that I even realized he was there.

I had hit 56 kmh on my naked Trek (touring bike) and did not think anyone could have caught up (so wasn't really checking) but he did tell me that this was awesome and thanked me for the pull.

If I had tapped the brakes for any reason it could have been pretty ugly and his comment about the pull indicated he was pretty close.

I chased him after that and discovered that on his own the guy was insanely fast and never had any urge to latch on.

Naked Treks :twitchy:

Change the thread title. You didn't "drop a roadie" you took out a wheel sucker.

I don't like all this negative energy focused on "roadies". I like to think I am one, albeit a rather large version.

What's the beef? Cant' we all just get along?:cry:

Well, judging by the posts I see on BF, apparently not.

Anyways, drafting someone without letting them know you are there, is dumb. That doesn't mean the guy deserved to crash, but it does mean he takes responsibility for anything that happens.

You probably shouldn't have slowed, but that does not assign any of the fault/blame to you.

Naked Treks :twitchy:

Naked as in... nothing extra except a computer to monitor speed.

I know...this kind of talk makes ya hot.

:)

Change the thread title. You didn't "drop a roadie" you took out a wheel sucker.

Yeah, I regret the title. I considered "Rear ended by a roadie" but it that didn't sound very good either. :innocent:.

The rider was surprised but not hurt. Had he actually been in pain, I would have expressed greater concern in this post.

Michael

...took out a wheel sucker.

I never heard the term WS before, but I like it. :roflmao2:

I know, I am a little old and a lot slow.

Who's fault? Both? Neither? I actually don't think that anyone was totally "at fault", but both of you bear some responsibility for what happened.

You - should not make any sudden moves when someone is drafting too close behind you. I've seen experienced roadies that ride with each other a lot crash due to sudden moves by the rider in front with no hand signals. Do the people where you ride use hand signals when they ride in groups? When someone is drafting behind you, it is common courtesy to signal for things like road obstacles and when you are slowing down. If you are not used to riding in a group, and were uncomfortable with it, you should have said as much. He may have thought that you were just "racing" him (drop/humiliate).

Him - he was an idiot for drafting so close to someone that he had never ridden with before, and very rude for not talking to you or trying to take a turn up front. Also, if he had been paying attention, he would not have gone down.

In any event, I hope that you don't move too suddenly when someone is on your wheel again, that he is not stupid enough to draft someone that he does not know or has talked to about it, and that both of you try SAYING SOMETHING the next time that something happens.

No matter who's fault it is, it sucks when someone gets hurt. Who exactly is "right" does not matter that much to me.

Naked as in... nothing extra except a computer to monitor speed.

I know...this kind of talk makes ya hot.

:)


Thinking of you straddling 'merkin steel makes me hot. :love:

Who's fault? Both? Neither? I actually don't think that anyone was totally "at fault", but both of you bear some responsibility for what happened.

You - should not make any sudden moves when someone is drafting too close behind you. I've seen experienced roadies that ride with each other a lot crash due to sudden moves by the rider in front with no hand signals. Do the people where you ride use hand signals when they ride in groups? .....In any event, I hope that you don't move too suddenly when someone is on your wheel again, that he is not stupid enough to draft someone that he does not know or has talked to about it, and that both of you try SAYING SOMETHING the next time that something happens.

No matter who's fault it is, it sucks when someone gets hurt. Who exactly is "right" does not matter that much to me.



First, I don't ride in groups... ever. I don't look like a guy who rides in groups either. I'm 52 years old, 225 lbs and my bike would not impress the group-ride crowd. I'm mostly a commuter and am risk adverse.

I did signal him to pass, both verbally and by moving to the right shoulder. He was not deaf or wearing a headphone.

Last, no-one got hurt.

Michael

Next time save everyone the arguments about your supposed intentions and all the "who's at fault" rhetoric...

- flag your elbow, signalling that you want off the pull and you're going to drift back.
- peel to the left and allow yourself to drift back
- as you drift past him, clothesline him with your right arm then resume your former pace

:roflmao2: