fauxto nick

Just a friendly reminder or a piece of advice for all you new riders. If some people pass you, or even if someone passes you, and you don't know them, and what they're about, keep your ego in line and don't chase after them frantically and pull onto their wheel, not saying a word, acting as if you're not there or that you are a riding partner. Or even worse, try to break up their pace line. Some people are out doing intervals, some might be working with a coach (not to mention paying for it). Either way, you might be interrupting someones workout. Not to mention you don't know them, and they don't know you and your bike handling abilities, and possibly don't want a stranger riding their wheel like a horny dog humping for superiority at a dog park.

If you must stroke your ego bruised from being passed, just make it happen and clear them and go on with your ride, if you can't pass, deal with it. Have some etiquette, not everyone is a social butterfly on the bike, and frankly there's nothing wrong with not wanting to socialize when you're riding, whether it be on a recovery day or a training day.

BarryJo

personal experience on today's training ride?
Blow some snot on them and ride them off your wheel.

fauxto nick

Yes, it was a personal experience today...and yesterday, and frankly a lot of days this year. I'm a pretty friendly guy, but the situation today was obnoxious enough to really annoy me. I'm not even trying to be funny, I'm dead serious about this, I personally think it's a really rude trait that comes with how jacked up on their own testosterone most roadies are. I mean it's one thing to practice trying to reel a rider in that you see in the distance, that's great training, but keep a healthy distance from his wheel once you get em'. If you're not going to go up to him/her and engage a conversation to say "hey I'm here, on your wheel is that cool?" then don't ride the wheel. If I want someone humping my wheel I'll do a race or a group ride.

Velo Vol 

Ride on roads that no one else is dumb enough to ride on. That's my strategy.

fauxto nick

Not really possible in Southern California.

mkadam68

Velo Vol 

I can go on a 30-mile+ weekend afternoon ride and not see one other road cyclist.

surgeonstone

That's the way it is up here, and to boot I have the pleasure of being passed by 5-6 cars in 2 hours. Very quiet

Smallguy

I agree in a group ride last week there were 2 of us working to bring back osme faster club riders and all of a sudden there was a third on the wheel I went to grab the guy I was expecting to pull through wheel and saw someone else there.. with that and the traffic I almost hit the shoulder

98TJ

Passive-aggressive dude is passive-aggressive.

Your thoughts (and words) would best be served cold to whomever sucked your wheel.

fauxto nick

Well on a group ride, I feel like you sign up for the company, same as in a race, I'm trusting that the people there have decent bike handling skills but if I'm alone, it's probably because I want to be.

As far as where I ride, today was a Thursday and between my morning intervals and afternoon ride I did about maybe 60 miles and I'd say over the course of the day I saw at least 50 or 60 road cyclists in 3 hours on the bike.

StanSeven

I agree. There are too many cyclists with bruised egos just because they got passed. What they want to do is hang on until you slow and then go arond thinking they won a race. On the other hand, I find myself going slow on a long training ride and get awaken when I'm passed - just a reminder I need to pick up the pace.

KiuBWhy

I try my best not to let commuters overtake me. Alas, I fail at life.

gregf83 

I passed someone while doing an interval the other day and after 30 Secs I looked behind and he was on my wheel. It didn't bother me at all and gave me a little extra motivation. I was a little disappointed a few minutes later when I looked and he wasn't there. I'd have talked to him after my interval was over but he was gone.

I've always found that inexperienced riders are unlikely to latch on 6" behind a wheel if they're not comfortable drafting so the ones that do don't bother me. I'm used to riding with others so I hold my line and check behind out of habit.

thisisbenji

The solution to that is to just drop them. But my advice for next time would be to slow down and talk to the guy, tell him that you don't want him grabbing your wheel. I'm sure he'll go away. Sounds like a better idea than just not saying anything and then complaining about it.

JonnyHK 

Did you ask the guy to leave? Not everyone has ESP or a lot of 'in knowledge' of how the secret society works...

"Hi there. I'm doing some specific training intervals, so would you mind not holding my wheel? Thanks!"

KiuBWhy

Nick's point is that its interrupting a regimented workout routine. You don't go to the gym on an arms day, do a set then rest for a second then do a set again. In general, I think its rude to ride a stranger's wheel without notifying your intents of doing so.

That's how I'm reading it at least.

spock

OP is right. If someone passes you, let them go or try to keep the pace from a distance if you must. I do that sometimes, but there is always a certain amount of space involved (about 30 to 50 yards). It's always nice to know that I can go as fast as someone else that's on a much lighter bike with a full kit and at the same time, I don't wanna bother anyone nor would I go out of my way to follow them. If they are up for socializing and such, there will be a hint.

One time the opposite happened to me. I was just going casually about 17 mph and all of a sudden a guy gets on my wheel and I could feel him there for about 2 miles minding my own world and it just wasn't confy for me. Then I tried to speed up and slow down to give him a hint, but no change. I then just continued with my previous pace and he pulls up beside me and starts talking to me. He was giving me advices left and right, including a suggestion that if I wanted more speed, I should get a lighter bike. I just kept saying "yea I know". After about 10 minutes he went the other way to go home. He was much older than me as well. He seemed like a nice guy, but sometimes people need to take a hint.

Homebrew01

Same here. I'm glad I have quiet back roads.

Jay-W

Same goes for the guys who can't take being passed, only to huff and puff to overtake you again and then cut in front and sit up like that's all that needs to be done.

Hey idiot...I passed you for a reason...you were going slower than me and now that you're in front again you've slowed down...again. FFS.

StephenH

Some excellent advice: If you're about to ride into a school parking lot, and there's a cable stretched across the driveway, stop before you run into the cable.

Nerull

You shouldn't have to tell someone not to do something they shouldn't be doing.

shopgirl

As I understand it, as long as I'm not close enough to be drafting off the rider in front of me, it's not considered rude to follow another rider. I often do use getting passed by another rider as a wake-up call of sorts, and I'll sometimes follow them for a few miles, but I'm always at least 2-3 rider lengths behind them, often more than that, and I try to give them a warning and plenty of space if/when I pass. Nobody's accused me so far of interrupting their training or making them uncomfortable, but am I being rude by following someone who's passed me like that? It's just so boring to train alone!
Drafting a stranger for several miles, without asking? Offering your unsolicited advice and opinion about someone else's bike? Yeah, obviously that's rude.

Carbon Unit

On a typical Saturday in Southern California, I would see hundreds of riders in big groups of 20 or more riders on a 30 mile ride.

JonnyHK 

Who said they shouldn't be doing it? Where is the sign? Tell me where it is written down?

Now I'm being a bit silly - but you are presuming WAY too much.

Instead of putting up with something you don't like and then moaning about it to everyone here later on, why not just say something short and polite and DEAL WITH IT quickly and simply then and there.