Originally Posted by 195cranky

To FLvector who was kind enough to make some snide remarks about my post and he wrote...

What if they are in stealth mode and you don't hear or see them?
who it is, What does that matter?
what kind of rider they are, You can't tell that when they are drafting you.
and maybe even where they are headed. Who cares where they are going unless they plan to buy you a beer after the ride.

So, to address one point at a time...

Stealth mode -
If they are that quiet more often than not a good rider, clean bike and drivetrain, and riding pretty fast to be tucked in. Not a problem, yet. But I hope to see a shadow, hear something, most do let me know they are wheel sucking which is cool, or see him when I take a quick glance or hear a shift. Then I would make sure I acknowledge them and that they are there and start pointing out stuff as needed. My nice gesture to him to let him know I now know he is there and I will for sure check him out if he wants to take a pull or I flick an elbow or move over for him to do some work if he can. No problem. Again, more than likely a good, experienced, safe rider. Glad to have someone enjoying the fruits of my labor and pull efforts.

what does it matter who it is? -
Well, I guess to me it matters a lot. If it is some newbie idiot Fredly trying to hang on with crossed eyes seeing red who can make a mistake and possibly take me out. Or as one did a couple years ago, run right into my brand new Campy G3 Eurus after I motioned stop coming up behind row of cars and he almost took me down at slow speed, broke two spokes, bent wheel, and all the fun and expense that he still after offering has not paid me for to replace spokes and fix wheel. So yeah, I guess it really matters who it is behind me be it one inch, six inches or 5 feet. If it is someone I know and have ridden with and I trust - no problem. If it someone fit, shaved, nice bike, looks like a capable rider - no problem. Welcome aboard. Have fun. Take a pull if you can. Enjoy. Maybe even say thanks when they turn off or can't hang on any more. Yes, it matters a lot and I'm surprised that it may not matter to you.

what kind of rider they are, You can't tell that when they are drafting you. -
If they are drafting me and I am at 28mph or 25 or 20 and they are inches or feet behind me I will make it a point to check out what kind of rider they are. Let them take a pull, or introduce myself at a light, or ask where they are headed, or just plain be friendly and say hello and do a once over. If it is someone I passed now hanging on, I probably had the opportunity to see what kind of rider they are. Not that hard to tell. Not that hard to figure out most times. If they caught up to me, yippee some one strong to ride with or draft off of. So if they are drafting and for my own self preservation I will take a look, assess, and determine comfort level from there. Not that hard.

and maybe even where they are headed. Who cares where they are going unless they plan to buy you a beer after the ride.-
I do care where they are going if they are drafting me. Maybe it's just a courtesy that some maybe more experienced riders, who ride with other strong experienced riders share to say hello, nod the head, acknowledge the unspoken bond on the road, or even to just give kudos for the pulls or fast pace. I don't care much if they are planning on turning off or stopping in a half mile. I know I won't need to worry about them behind me cause they won't be for long.

I care a lot if they are going same direction for next twenty miles and we can trade off pulls and effort or they may just want to hang on and beat their coffee ride buddies behind us to the coffee shop so he can be sitting there drinking his cup when they roll up. That guy thanked me much for the 10 mile pull and apologized that he could not contribute and was barely hanging on most of the way. But he sure was happy and could not wait to see the looks on his ride group faces. So, I guess I care who they are, where they are going, and what kind of rider they are. Self preservation, courtesy, and maybe how I roll. Surprised one would question, or one would not have same human feeling towards another.

Things change averaging rides over 20mph or sustaining 25 on a slight incline into a headwind with guys trying to hang on. Different people, different world, different feelings. Took a long time to get there. Takes hard work to stay there. And maybe it includes the knowing that is shared by others who play in that arena?

Gotta say, posts here have been entertaining. We have a saying in the race car world, if they are a jerk off the track, they are probably a jerk on the track. We can maybe figure out who some of the jerks here would be if we had to ride with them.