Originally Posted by
shelbyfv
If they didn't invite you to hop on, you should have left them alone. That's probably why they were annoyed with you. If you can't restrain yourself, at least ask if you can join. As mentioned above, if the pace is too fast for you, take a shorter pull.
This.
But since you did ask and knew the guy, you pull at the same speed as the rider in front of you. If you can't pull at that speed, hold it until he's off and then pull off yourself.
Don't open a gap in front of you to allow the guy drifting back to come in. He may may need a rest and wants to get to the back, and the folks behind you may be able to pull so you end up disrupting the paceline. Instead, rotate through smoothly, just don't spend any longer at the front than you can, but make sure to give the guy that just pulled off enough time to at least get behind you. You don't want to take out his front wheel by pulling off too soon.
Keep it smooth and the paceline will flow nicely. Stay predictable to keep it all safe.