Earlier this week on a race-paced shop ride, I moved up the outside to get away from some riders who were on the rivet and looked ready to pop. I didn't want to move all the way to the front, so I tried to back into a spot about 15 or so from the front. As I was taking over the wheel, the rider who I was forcing off (all he had to do was soft pedal a couple strokes to let me slot in . . . and this wasn't a race or anything so he had nothing to lose) said something along the lines of, "hey, no. Don't". I IMMEDIATELY backed off! I was surprised by how quickly I responded to his vocal instruction. I realized that I'm used to a quiet fluidness in the peloton, where more is said with body language than with words. Words tend to startle me, and make me sit up. Is this just me? I have been pushed off my fair share of wheels, and never tried just saying, "hey, no it's mine".