Well, today I was off on a brief 30km ride to get back into the commuting mood for school starting again in September. So, it's a nice day, about 24 celsius, breezy and very pleasant along the river MUP. Halfway through the so-far-uneventful ride, I turn around to go back home along the same path, and I immediately come upon a red light at an intersection. As I'm waiting for the light to change, an old gentleman (I'd say somewhere in his 60s) on a road bike pulls up in front of me. We're both decked out in cycling wear and I'll admit, I did smirk when he moved in front of me (I'm just too used to seeing old guys with expensive kit who go 13mph in my city...).
The light turns green and, to my great surprise, this guy shoots off at a respectable clip. I jump on my bike and follow him down the path. We're going pretty much at the same speed, which is 18-20mph, and I'm maintaining a 6-7 metre following distance behind him. After a few minutes, he slows down slightly, and since I figure he's getting p-o'ed by some kid following him, I make my move and sprint past him after ringing my bell and I maintain a very fast pace for 100 metres or so. Ok, so now I figure that's all done with, and I continue down the path back at my normal 18-20mph speed for about 8 kilometres. At that time, I hear a strange buzzing noise from behind me... I glance back to check my cassette, but, just like in those cheap horror movies when a monster jumps out of the closet, I suddenly see the old guy drafting me with only a ~1 metre distance from my back wheel, making no effort to let me know he was there! I'm shocked to be drafted (never happened before, and I don't have any mirrors), and as soon as I recover, the guy sprints past me for 10 metres or so, and then signals a left turn and veers off the MUP.
Look, I respect this guy's fitness, and I hope I'm able to maintain his level of strength when I am that age, but I think chasing me for 8 kilometres, then drafting me for a little ego boost was very childish and quite dangerous. I suppose I'm surprised mainly because the vast majority of cyclists in my city are extremely respectful and courteous.
I could see this as some kind of age-related contest, as he felt he needed to prove himself as a faster cyclist to a young whippersnapper like me (I hope that's not rude...), and I can see the possibility that he thought my sprinting past him was some sort of biker-duel, challenge-type thing, which it was not. The fact of the matter is, I simply could not pass him without sprinting due to our comparable speeds.
At the end of the day, though, I suppose you just have to laugh, sometimes. If anyone has any opinions on my actions or his actions, or similar stories, I'd love to hear them. On the off chance that this guy's a member of BF, I apologize if you took my actions as demeaning or threatening, although I would discourage you from drafting unsuspecting victims in the future. (I'd also like to apologize to all you readers for the mix of metric and imperial units in this post. We do that in Canada.)