Drafting etiquette
I was riding yesterday on the street on my mountain bike when I passed up a road cyclist who sped up to draft off me, less than a foot off my rear wheel.
After about a 1/4 mile of this, I pulled to the side, slowed down, and let him pass. As he passed, I politely said, 'If you're going to ride someone else's wheel, for safety and courtesy's sake you should at least let him know you're there.'
This other cyclist immediately became irrate and screamed back, 'What the f*** are you talking about?!??! I don't have you let you know anything!!!!'
Clearly this other cyclist brought some baggage 'to the table' that had nothing to do with me. I kind of felt sorry for him.
Anyway, tell me this: when did it become cool to ride someone else's wheel without at least announcing yourself? I wasn't concerned so much that this guy was getting the benefit of my labor without so much as a hello. I was concerned that he was so close to me, that if I slowed or stopped suddenly for whatever reason, he was going to collide with me.
Etiquette says you at least annouce yourself if you're going to draft, right? And if you do, you're supposed to offer to take the lead once-in-awhile, right (not that this guy got the chance to)?
TIA