Unwelcome drafting - RANT
 

This hasn't been an issue until this past year for some reason. I've noticed that at least a couple times a month someone will draft off me. What usually happens is that I'll pass the rider (roadie or commuter), and I'll find them still on my rear wheel a couple miles later. I get annoyed that they're leeching off me without offering to share the lead. They obviously increased their speed to draft, since I passed them in the first place. What do you do in situations like this? If I let them go ahead of me, they'll just slow down, and I'll pass them again. Should I just let it be? But I feel so used.... :notamused:

I'd much rather someone behind me does that drafting, as long as I know they're there. That way I can point out road hazards to them, keep my power steady, all that nice paceline stuff- it's no big deal to me. I absolutely won't draft anyone I don't trust to do the same- if they touch my rear wheel from behind, they eat pavement and I feel a little bump at worst. If I'm following somebody who's unsteady at the lead, they could slow suddenly, weave around a bit of road junk and take out my front wheel. I'd much rather work a little harder than pick gravel out of scabs for a month. So, even if somebody is willing to take the lead, I'll still stay back 10 feet.

So getting drafted means that you're still getting the same workout as you were before.... and...?

Best way to get rid of them is to drop 'em.

The most courteous thing to do would be to keep an eye out for them, pointing out hazards & bumps like Squeazel said.

Probably the only valid complaint I've seen yet, IMO, is that they might not know how to draft safely.

I've been drafted before, and I don't care. I went out for the purpose of riding by myself, and somebody following in my wake doesn't make me work any harder anyway.

Are you really sure that you are not slowing down some after you pass. Virtually every rider who has passed me slows down 1 to 3 mph once they get about 100 yards ahead. That means that in about 200 yards, I am on their rear wheel. If that happens, then I consider that they gave me permission to draft by their action.

If they are going about the speed I want to travel, I stay on their wheel, because I know that if I kicked it up and passed them, they would speed up like we were in a race. If they are going slower than I want to travel, I will draft (and get some recovery) until we approach a hard section. Then I will take off and keep going. By that point, even if they try and race, I am gone.

If they want to work together, all they have to do is ask OR pull a little left, and stop pedaling. I will get the message and work with them.

I only worry about someone drafting me if they look like they do not know how to work even a 2 man pace line or they refuse to work together after being asked.

Really nothing to get worked up about, no matter how it works out.

I eat a lot of beans, so this has never been a problem for me.

Welcome to my world. lol. I just live with it now. I would rather ride a long and have a chat, but oh well.

P.S. I live in Irvine also. :) Check out SoCal subforum, bunch of us are planning Sushi night tomorrow.

If someone passes me that is not riding adequately fast enough to have done so I will sit back behind them. So... the OP is either too fast or too slow. Depends on if you want to take it as an insult or a compliment.
Either ride faster or ride slower. In the last case one should never have passed them if they did so.

Had this happen on the second day I commuted. I was trying different bikes to see what worked best and that day I was trying my MTB. I pulled up to a light behind a small guy on a road bike. We took off from the light and he never got above 13 mph. Not thinking anything of it, I pulled around and passed. Got up to 19 mph (there is always a good headwind on my homeward commute) and it wasn't long till I realized he was on my tail. Didn't occur to me that he was drafting till I made my turn a couple of miles later.

The next week I was on the '77 Schwinn road bike that has become my commuter of choice. Ended up behind the same guy at the same light. Let him pull his 13 mph crap till he realized I wasn't biting. Drafted him, though not too close, made my turn and haven't seen him since.

Had one other guy try to draft me on his MTB but dropped him pretty quickly.

The way I figure it is that the people that do this are taking it easy, and when I pass them, they just jump on my rear wheel and are able to go faster with the draft. I ride mostly on a MUP, so it's not like I'm passing people at stop lights. And how could you catch up to someone and be too slow to pass them when riding at your normal pace? I make it a point not to speed up just to catch/pass someone, because I don't like it when people do it to me - the golden rule and all. I'll speed up right when I pass, so that I'm not on the wrong side of the path for long. I guess I'll just have to learn to live with it.

It seems like most riders here are either considerably slower than me, or considerably faster, so I haven't experienced this much. Once I was riding This on the MUP with a few items in the panniers, and before long I noticed a guy tailing me. But instead of drafting, it seemed more like he wanted to get around me. Well after nearly hitting me a couple of times (there were quite a few walkers out, so he was riding way too close to me), he passed and I said "hello". He just kind of glared at me and grunted, so I decided to keep up with him. As he passed, I noticed he was riding a nice looking mtb and wearing a one-piece aerodynamic body suit (on a crowded MUP mind you). He was going pretty good and I'll admit that it wasn't a breeze for me to keep up, but it wasn't unreasonable at all. Occasionally he would look back and see that I was always about 30 feet behind him. He would speed up some, but not enough to lose me. Finally we started up a bad hill and he stood up and tried to put the hammer down, but to avail. At the top of the hill he pulled over and watched me pass casually, and he sounded like he was about to puke. :o Keep in mind this was not a high speed ride. I doubt we ever even topped 20. :D

I don't think I've ever had anyone draft me before. Maybe I don't ride fast enough? I think I'd slam on my brakes. That'll learn 'em.

I don't know man
passing on bicycles is interesting

If you really don't like being drafted off of:Go fast or don't pass in the first place.

That happens to me all the time...I pass someone or a small group, then they sneak up behind and stealthily draft me without asking permission. No big deal really. I usually just drop them on the next hill.

I hate it too.
Happened to me recently when i was riding my single speed on a MUP. I passed a roadie who was going slower than I wanted to go. I guess he didn't like that or something cause then he stayed on my wheel, even as I increased speed. Next time I'm gonna just flat out tell anyone to get off my wheel and pass me if they want to go faster. I never liked drafting myself because I feel like I'm cheating myself... not getting as good a workout as I could be. So I look at drafting as a sign of weakness. Unless for some reason you really can't keep up with that speed by yourself and you really need to be somewhere quicker than you can get there yourself. :rolleyes: Plus, like pointed out in another recent thread, it can be dangerous especially when you don't know the person or even know he is there.

My humbled opinion is. well duh! They might just be going the same route at about the same speed as you.

I have gotten into group rides by accident and had to accept the pace, at least until it was safe to pass.:innocent:

Two words: snot rockets...they never draft off me again. 'oops, sorry dude, didn't see you there..."

To answer your question, yes. let it be.

easy...

Dinotte 140L tail light on pulsed mode. Guaranteed to keep everyone off your wheel

I haven't seen an impediment to simply talking to other people and asking them not to do things that prove annoying. I imagine I would do this with a bicycle tailgater. Haven't had the pleasure. I have tagged onto group rides that are passing by, but I introduce myself and make sure I'm welcome. Generally I've been invited on the ride, although I'm usually just on my way home.

Is there some reason not to talk to a tailgater? Introduce oneself, ask if the fellow would please not ride so close.

I suppose a small sign on the back reading "WARNING - RIDER MAY FALL AT ANY MOMENT - I ride a bike because I have narcolepsy." That should take care of most of problems.

I never see other bikers on my commute route, so I don't know if it would bother me or not. Probably not if the other rider seemed to possess decent biking skills. However, we occassionally pass other riders while riding with my friends who try to jump on the pace line. Usually we try to pass them fast enough so they won't latch on, but sometimes that isn't possible. I'm very uncomfortable adding someone to a fast pace line who we don't know, particularly if they don't seem to have much experience or skills. I've seen more crashes caused by dufuses who don't know how to paceline than any other reason.

I've only been drafted once, during my morning commute, by a guy who I see occasionally and know is considerably faster than me. I don't appreciate it. You need to buy me dinner before sticking your nose up my ass.

If my partner and I are riding together and I get caught in his draft, I'll get a solid speed increase off it. I have to actively brake, coast, and gear down to avoid hitting his wheel. He's a big guy and is very easy to draft. It takes a fair bit of effort to avoid his draft zone if I just drop back.

If you're doing a slow or close pass, it will make it easy for the other riders to catch your draft. Even if they're slower, they have to be a *lot* slower to lose the draft once they've caught it. (or they have to be smart enough to know that drafting a stranger is a Bad Plan)

You may find it rude (as do I most of the time) but that still won't stop it from occurring.
So:
-Blow snot rockets
-Go faster until one of you blows up
-My personal favorite: slow down

It is a very easy problem to solve.

Eat some bean burritos and broccoli for lunch. If it occurs again, respond appropriately. :thumb:

Another one:
Start riding intervals when that happens. 1 min 100% make effort the next min recovery. Try drafting someone with their speed all over the place. It should drive them mad.

Also, you could sprint.
Turn this annoyance into a game and what not.