Velomatic

I'm a fairly new rider whose only been road riding for a few months now. I have only ridden solo and don't know much about group riding and the etiquette involved. Today I came across a situation in my ride where I wasn't really sure what the expected behavior was and thought I'd get some advice for the future.

I was out riding my daily route and was passed by a small group ride. Due to some traffic, their slowing down a little, and my speeding up a little (I was passed on the uphill) I ended up being right behind them for several miles. I tried to keep a few bike lengths between myself and the end of the group but for whatever reason the gap kept closing. I rode up to the last person in line and tried to give an apologetic 'Sorry I'm back here sucking your wheel but I want to make sure you know I'm right behind' but he was obviously pretty annoyed with me.

So what is the appropriate way to react when a solo rider encounters a group riding at his/her pace? Should I have sat up for a bit or was the responsibility theirs to put some distance between us?

calamarichris

The guy was an utter tool for expressing annoyance with you. Are you sure you weren't reading a reaction that wasn't there? If they don't want you on their wheel, let them ride you off it, (i.e. pedal more quickly in a higher gear to accelerate in such a manner as to make it too difficult to remain in their slipstream.) You don't owe them an explanation and you have a right to the road too. Instead of apologizing, you can ask "Mind if I join you?"
Or you can do what I do, which is fight like the devil to keep them behind me and ride them off my wheel.

n0tverycreative

Good question. What do you do?

RudeSiggy

You have a right to the road but at least let 'em know you're there.



Yes.



Even better. Just don't embarass yourself. I love when folks are clearly trying to stay away from me when I'm putting in about 20% perceived exertion and catching up. They might as well just ride next to me and be social.

Velomatic

Its possible I misread him. In fact I was sort of hoping he would say 'No worries, why don't you join us?' and maybe I was just disappointed he didn't. Regardless, I was mostly just worried I was breaking some unspoken rule of the road.


Trying to ride ahead crossed my mind and I would have likely ended up doing exactly that, embarrassing myself.

johnny99

Drafting a stranger is a risk for both people, especially since neither person knows the skills of the other. The safest thing to do is slow down and give them some space until you can pass safely. You really couldn't find a safe place to pass "for several miles"?

FLvector

First, you did nothing wrong and you don't need to be so apologetic. Let them know you're there and if they don't want you to draft, it is up to them to let you know or drop you. You will get a variety of opinions on this and suggest you do a search on drafting since it frequently comes up. There is some very good information in the archives, so search on. Once you feel comfortable riding in a paceline, this will seem like old news to you. I would suggest to give at least a wheels space until you feel comfortable with it.

caloso

I think you did fine. My peeve is unannounced wheelsuckers, but you let them know you were there and the guy was a tool for acting annoyed.

Velomatic

I think you misunderstood. They passed me. After they passed me, for various reasons, I ended up right behind them and we were all riding at the same pace. I don't think I could have passed them for any length of time so I was left with either hanging on and riding at the pace I had set out to ride or sitting up and slowing down.

From just a gut emotional reaction I felt that if they were going to pass they needed to keep the speed up, at least if they didn't want me behind. But I don't want to make decisions based on how I feel. I want to make them based on expected riding behavior just as a driver makes decisions on expectations of how other drivers around will drive.

datlas 

+1...and unless they were practicing for a TTT they should not mind an announced guest...unless said guest is super-squirrely.

I also suggest you look into joining your local club, group riding (with the right group, of course) is a blast.

nebuchenezzar

I think you did the right thing.

Tortuga!

If he was the last person in a non-hammerfest group, he might have been a new guy and not have known etiquette either. It's possible you just freaked out a dude on his first group ride.

Tunnelrat81

I always thought the annoyance was with unannounced wheel suckers when you're on a solo ride yourself. Group rides are just that....wheel-sucking festivals, and are constantly in flux. Unless it's a "team training ride" which you'd likely be able to recognize by the matching kits throughout, I wouldn't worry about it. Group rides in my area are often large, being continually added to and subtracted from as people join and split off, never feeling the need to announce themselves, just riding appropriately while they're in it. Holding a steady pace, keeping brake use to a minimum, holding a steady line and watching ahead are the biggest things to remember. Start with those things and the rest you'll learn by watching/doing. Let them know that you're there, sure, but you've definitely done nothing wrong if they're pissed at you. Avoid apology though, as it might create a reason for them to feel somehow molested by what you've done.

-Jeremy

palesaint

+1. Don't worry about someone's attitude until their riding pattern suddenly shifts. You'll know the rider doesn't want you around when they suddenly start sprinting or swerving.

dcvelo

Wow. I gave up having expectations about how other drivers would drive a long time ago.

You did fine as far as your actions with the group though. Announcing your presence is all they can reasonably expect in the situation you described.

Val23708

turn in up another 100 watts.

Velomatic

The absurdity of that sentence did strike me as I was writing it. Still, you work with what you've got.

Anyway, thanks for the replies. Its good to know I probably wasn't seriously stepping on toes. I'll get back to riding now!

furyx

Never asked anyone if they allow me to draft or not, i just draft. And never recieved any negative comments for that.

If they don't want me to draft they have to drop me.

jesspal

Guys in the back are probably weaker riders that not confident in there skills. They may not be comfortable having anyone behind them. They should not be a complete a-hole though, it is a great time to work in with people that are new and perhaps a bit more forgiving.

If I have an unannounced wheel sucker I pick up the pace quite a bit from 19 up to 24 mph and take the 90 degree turns faster than the casual guys like too. If they hang on I make them do some work. Most respectable riders will do work and most poseurs can't keep up with the increase in pace.

coasting 

you did nothing wrong.

actually i don't think this is a group vs solo issue. the problem is cyclists who pass without being fast enough to pull away. i hate whn some idiot busts a gut to get past me then relaxes to recover from the extra effort so i have to pass.

rangerdavid

I'd stay behind where you were and yell "on your wheel". If they dont like it, they can speed up and drop you. If they continue to inhibit your pace, pass 'em and drop 'em.

But I do agree with many of the above opinions, you don.t owe them an apology for anything. I hate it in my car when someone passes me and then slows down. same for the bike.

stonecrd

Just ride your ride and don't do stupid things. If you are going faster than thr group then ride through or pass them if you are going the same speed stay safely at the back. Not really much you can do, I have come up groups of 30 riders who are either warming up or down and while I am in my ride, I just filter up past them and pass, they may pass me later when they start pushing who cares?

When I am solo though I really don't like someone drafting me. I am usually riding with headphones and if I have someone on my wheel then I have to become somewhat responsable for signaling what I am going to do etc. I really don't want the hassle. Also they seem to never do any work they just sit on your wheel until they head off in another direction. If someone wants to ride in and is willing to work the front I am much more willing to change my solo to a group ride.

ModeratedUser150120149

Hmmm, not to be too awfully critical, but aren't these mutually exclusive?

idk416

don't latch onto a paceline....especially if you don't ride in groups.
group riding carries some risk as is....the last thing you need is for some
stranger to get in the mix and **** up your rotation...or worse, touch a wheel
because he doesn't know what the hells going on.
i would guess that this is the reason for the dirty look.

bobthib

See if you can find a friendly club that welcomes noobs. Club rides can be fun and they will improve your riding. I was fortunate to find a good local club that was very open to noobs and they were very patient and instructive. Not all clubs are like that.