Not only is wheelsucking creepy and dangerous, especially for the wheelsucker ...

But it is an invasion of personal space and an imposition of the other cyclist.


One cyclist is riding along minding her own business, thinking through her day, focussing on her ride. She is enjoying the solitude of cycling.

And then, all of a sudden, there's a wheelsucker. He doesn't do the polite and respectful thing and introduce himself or make any conversation at all. He just rides quietly behind, glued to her wheel. And now, all of a sudden, she is responsible for him. She is responsible to point out the potholes and debris, and to pay attention to whatever other hazards might affect the unwanted, uninvited wheelsucker. If she fails to point out the large pothole, this wheelsucker could fall in and hurt himself. He has rudely imposed himself on her.


Now I don't go out of my way to harm the wheelsucker. My first move is to sit up, slow down, and pull over as far as I can. Perhaps the wheelsucker only wants to pass ... and sometimes that happens. Perhaps the wheelsucker wants to ride up beside me and introduce himself ... and sometimes that happens. But if the wheelsucker also slows and remains on my wheel, that's really weird and creepy.

So there are a number of things I might do including ... not pointing out potholes and debris. Why should I? I wasn't doing that before this wheelsuckers showed up uninvited. I might also quickly turn at an intersection or driveway. Or I might stop suddenly ... and get my camera out to take a photo of the scenery.


And yes, there is a difference between being a couple bike lengths behind another rider ... and being within a foot of the other rider.

You might think about it this way. There you are going for a walk one evening ... you're all alone with your thoughts, and all of a sudden someone comes out of a laneway and starts walking about 1 foot behind you. Maybe men wouldn't be creeped out by that ... but most women would. I feel the same way about wheelsuckers.