efrobert

I usually don't really pay much attention to what other riders are doing. I usually check out there bikes, but that's about it. I pass riders, I get passed... I don't care. But I had a rider just rub me the wrong way Sunday. I was finishing a hard 55 mile ride, with about 4200 feet of climbing. I was pushing pretty hard. It was my toughest ride of the year. I have 4 miles to go, and my legs are dead. The road is flat but there is a strong head wind kicking up. I pass a side street where another rider is turning right onto my street. I don't really pay much attention until about a mile later, I glance down and see a shadow right behind me. This guy is right on my wheel, using me to pull him through the wind. Well I'm not having it, so I turn and just glare at him. He doesn't move, just stays on my wheel. So I stop pedaling, sit up and take a drink from my water bottle. The guy just slows down, still on my wheel. Finally I slow down so much he has to pass, I hear him heave his chest, then he pulls around and says "On your left I guess" and he sounded like a snotty little teenager that didn't get his way.
He gets about fifty yards a head or so, then starts slowing down, I'm just going my same speed and within a mile I'm right up on his wheel. I was debating if I should give him a snotty "on your left", and pass, but he turned at the next side street.

MegaTom

It happens.

imi

Uninvite drafting is tailgating. You did good, slow down or drop 'em. Then forget about it...

MegaTom

Dudelsack 

Go Cinzano on him.

escarpment

no one likes drafters, even if your pulling for them,

unless its friends I never feel fully comfortable with someone sucking on my wheel or vice versa, I dont have brake lights.

rebel1916

That was a cool story bro.

baj32161

Riding, for me, is therapy. Nothing bothers me (except dangerous drivers). I do not carte who drafts me. I do not own the road. If someone wants to draft off of me...fine. I ride to get rid of suc trivial worries. I have never had another rider do a single thing to annoy me. I am in my own world when I ride.

gc3

everything annoys me....even people whining about wheel suckers...

...but seriously, if somebody thinks I'm going fast enough to draft off of...more power to them...God knows I've needed an anonymous pull every now and then when my azz is dragging...then again I'm not all that well adjusted...

JoelS

Yup. This annoys me to no end. I liken it to someone jumping in the back of your car when you stop at a light and refusing to get out or even pay for the ride. There was a time when people doing this would get yelled at. I still yell at people that do this.

Now if someone says hi and asks to sit on my wheel and trade pulls, that's another story.

Leukybear 

Incessant leap froggers.

patentcad

All other riders annoy me, but not nearly as much as your whiny narrative above.

Good grief.

datlas 

You should have given him the look, then dial it up to 400W and drope the hammer...

cvall91

Should've dialed it up to 400 watts and dropped him.

ticktockpedal

no road rage bros.

pdedes

I sense a lack of power in you, op.

DonDenver

True that. If I go back and recall all the folks who have irritated me...causing me to stress out or worse, over react, I now think how foolish I was. I've learned those folks that irritate the most are often clueless to their behavior's impact to others...and much too time consuming to try "fixing" them. Drop the rock, they'll sink themselves

StephenH

I seem to be the one who annoys other people, not the other way around, so all is well.

However...several days ago, I was out riding around White Rock Lake. I leisurely ride down to the lake (8 miles), never seeing another cyclist, then once at the lake, there's gobs of cyclists, so I'm honor-bound to dial it up to 400 watts, etc., then once around the lake (10 miles), I can relax and mosey on back home. Well, this time, I was going around the lake, passing everyone in sight, and started feeling young, and fit, and yes, fast! But just then, some guy that actually WAS young, fit, and fast zipped by me and made it look easy. He might as well have had a paperback on his handlebars for all the effort he was putting out. That made me feel old, fat, and slow again. And that just irritates the heck out of me.

zzzwillzzz

disagree. i expect anyone traveling at near the same speed to draft, if they half a clue that they know wtf they are doing

hueyhoolihan

exactly.

Dead Roman

I see every rider ahead of me as a goal to achieve. I push harder trying to catch and pass them, even the slow ones. I find it is easier to push yourself when you have tons of little short term goals laid out in front of you.

that being said

I always pass quickly with a friendly "good morning" and go on my merry way. If I am gonna draft someone, its usually because they are much faster than me, and I am always sure to ask, take a pull. this guy sounds like a ******.

Homebrew01

Excuse me sir, hamer only has 1 'm'

ILUVUK

You should have killed him with a trident.

Nachoman

If you're going to suck my wheel, I'd prefer a polite announcement. But if you can keep up, and keep out of my way, knock yourself out.

bikerjp

I occasionally get stuck near someone going a similar speed. Either I have to slow down and let them pull ahead or speed up and hope I can stay in front. Kind of annoying. I just want to do my own ride. The other day I passed a couple guys going kind of slow and chatting. Next thing I know they are passing me. Then they slow down again so I slow to avoid the leapfrog thing but get tired of waiting so eventually pass only to have them pass me back in a few minutes and then slow down again. I don't think they were doing intervals but it sure got annoying. Maybe they just wanted to trade pulls but if that was their plan they could have said something.

tldr: yeah, sometimes other riders annoy me.