I used to always announce myself, but I find myself deciding not too more and more often, especially if they are on an E-bike. I don’t want them to get nervous and change how they are riding just because I’m there, and I’m ready to dodge them if they slam on the breaks.

At a certain point, I’m riding to work or somewhere and I’m gonna suck that wheel whether the other person likes it or not. If they don’t like it they can slow down or speed up (good luck.)

looking at the bigger picture, I no longer ride fast on my commute, hoping to catch another cyclist. It is futile as any similarly fast person will never get caught unless there is a light. If I sandbag and take it easy, I can save energy and avoid sweating until someone passes me, then I catch up and draft. I have poor vision and keen hearing, so it’s hard to sneak up and me and blow by me like one needs to do to avoid wheelsuckers.

End of the day, it’s part of the sport and getting upset about wheelsuckers isn’t worth your while. They have to seriously mess up to crash you out, to the point that worrying about your safety is not worthwhile. As for their safety, if they don’t announce themselves then it’s on them.