Unannounced wheel-sucking and general d-baggery
05-31-12, 01:37 PM
#1
The Weird Beard
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: COS
Posts: 8,554
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Unannounced wheel-sucking and general d-baggery
I didn't want to poo on another thread that mentions this, but was instead meant to celebrate an achievement.
On the lunch ride today, some hippie in sandals and socks, a lefty pannier on the back, shorts that were, uhm, way too short, and no helmet (this can be debated over in A&S) is slogging along with no idea where he's going, so I pass him before a wicked downhill.
Now, I am not racing him, I just want to get away from his indecision and general cluelessness, so I announce my pass and dial it up to 387 watts.
It was an off day.
Halfway down the hill (about 42 mph, according to the 'puter), I glance back to get an idea of traffic to plan for the oncoming pothole minefield, and this d-bag is in my jersey pocket. If you're going to climb into my jersey, at least announce yourself first, lest ye be pummeled about the head and neck by my intolerant, bubble-protecting ass.
This clown has the balls to act as if he were entitled to hitch a ride on my draft. I said, "Kinda close, eh? Let me know next time", to which he replied with a shrug and a smile. I slowed to let him pass, at which point he slowed down in front of me.
If one sees being passed as a challenge that requires the closest thing to unwanted personal contact without actually touching someone, the next time I see you, you will get Cinzano'd.
Is it wrong to not want someone using your draft unannounced with less than half a wheel at that speed?
On the lunch ride today, some hippie in sandals and socks, a lefty pannier on the back, shorts that were, uhm, way too short, and no helmet (this can be debated over in A&S) is slogging along with no idea where he's going, so I pass him before a wicked downhill.
Now, I am not racing him, I just want to get away from his indecision and general cluelessness, so I announce my pass and dial it up to 387 watts.
It was an off day.
Halfway down the hill (about 42 mph, according to the 'puter), I glance back to get an idea of traffic to plan for the oncoming pothole minefield, and this d-bag is in my jersey pocket. If you're going to climb into my jersey, at least announce yourself first, lest ye be pummeled about the head and neck by my intolerant, bubble-protecting ass.
This clown has the balls to act as if he were entitled to hitch a ride on my draft. I said, "Kinda close, eh? Let me know next time", to which he replied with a shrug and a smile. I slowed to let him pass, at which point he slowed down in front of me.
If one sees being passed as a challenge that requires the closest thing to unwanted personal contact without actually touching someone, the next time I see you, you will get Cinzano'd.
Is it wrong to not want someone using your draft unannounced with less than half a wheel at that speed?
Last edited by RT; 05-31-12 at 01:44 PM.
05-31-12, 01:39 PM
#2
Throw the stick!!!!
I don't think so.
__________________
I may be fat but I'm slow enough to make up for it.
05-31-12, 01:44 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 23,208
Mentioned: 89 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18883 Post(s)
Liked 10,646 Times
in
6,054 Posts
It's not wrong not to want someone using your draft unannounced with less than half a wheel, at any speed.
05-31-12, 01:45 PM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 259
Bikes: Tarmac Apex
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
i actually had a guy do this same thing to me. I didnt know he was that close until he commented about how im terrible to draft behind. I leaned back and said "we'll Im only 5'5" what did you expect" He then got pissed and dropped off. LOL
05-31-12, 01:49 PM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: Tampa, Florida
Posts: 5,585
Bikes: 2017 Colnago C-RS, 2012 Colnago Ace, 2010 Giant Cypress hybrid
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 408 Post(s)
Liked 122 Times
in
85 Posts
Agree! Unannounced wheel sucking sucks.
__________________
HCFR Cycling Team
Ride Safe ... Ride Hard ... Ride Daily
2017 Colnago C-RS
2012 Colnago Ace
2010 Giant Cypress
HCFR Cycling Team
Ride Safe ... Ride Hard ... Ride Daily
2017 Colnago C-RS
2012 Colnago Ace
2010 Giant Cypress
05-31-12, 01:50 PM
#6
At least I'm not a poseur
Join Date: May 2010
Location: New Orleans, USA.
Posts: 794
Bikes: Giant Defy 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
LOL.
You're just mad that a stinky sandal-wearing hippie was able to keep up with you!
Not just keep up, but catch you, keep up, and then pass you! ROFL!
You're just mad that a stinky sandal-wearing hippie was able to keep up with you!
Not just keep up, but catch you, keep up, and then pass you! ROFL!
05-31-12, 01:51 PM
#7
Tiocfáidh ár Lá
Brake check... problem solved Just keep rolling. It's not like it's dangerous for you. I never understood people like that, it's like they get offended by being passed or something.
Just keep rolling. It's not like it's dangerous for you. I never understood people like that, it's like they get offended by being passed or something.
05-31-12, 01:53 PM
#8
The Weird Beard
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: COS
Posts: 8,554
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Told ya, it was an off day
05-31-12, 01:56 PM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 3,247
Bikes: Moots Vamoots, Colnago C60, Santa Cruz Stigmata CC, and too many other bikes I don't ride
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 152 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
6 Posts
Wear this jersey if you don't want this to happen again
05-31-12, 02:00 PM
#10
Descends like a rock
Its good etiquette to make sure the person knows if you're following that close. Realistically, you have to accept the fact that there's a lot of new riders out there, or riders with no group experience that don't know about this. I dont get upset with people over things they dont know.
05-31-12, 02:03 PM
#11
The Weird Beard
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: COS
Posts: 8,554
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
He is probably on sandalsandsocksforums.net posting about the guy in Lycra who passed him and how his mad hippie drafting skills allowed him to dial it up without dialing it up.
Seriously, this guy looked like Joe Cocker at Woodstock.
Seriously, this guy looked like Joe Cocker at Woodstock.
Last edited by RT; 05-31-12 at 02:11 PM.
05-31-12, 02:08 PM
#12
incazzare.
So you weren't fast enough, eh? Too bad. Hippie wins.
__________________
1964 JRJ (Bob Jackson), 1973 Wes Mason, 1974 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1986 Schwinn High Sierra, 2000ish Colian (Colin Laing), 2011 Dick Chafe, 2013 Velo Orange Pass Hunter
1964 JRJ (Bob Jackson), 1973 Wes Mason, 1974 Raleigh Gran Sport, 1986 Schwinn High Sierra, 2000ish Colian (Colin Laing), 2011 Dick Chafe, 2013 Velo Orange Pass Hunter
05-31-12, 02:18 PM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,515
Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3241 Post(s)
Liked 2,512 Times
in
1,510 Posts
Who's to say he was wheelsucking? It was a wicked downhill after all. You didn't detail his size but he and his bike's combined weight might have made him faster down the hill. You could have been holding him up and he was nice enough not to attempt a pass and really create a dangerous situation. Or he could have been wheelsucking after all.
It happens to me all of the time. I am a 5' 8" 200lb heavily muscled (by cyclists standards) sprinter type. (think Cavendish with 30 more pounds of muscle) Fast in the flats and going downhill. But anytime the road turns upwards I will get dropped by everyone. I roll up on people all of the time. But if there is a hill in the near future I have to sit behind them and not pass because once the hill comes they will be passing me back. Then going down the backside of the hill I come right back up on them quickly. They look around and think I am making a race out of it. This is why I announce my intentions early on when I first come up on them.
Which is what you wanted in the first place from the hippie.
It happens to me all of the time. I am a 5' 8" 200lb heavily muscled (by cyclists standards) sprinter type. (think Cavendish with 30 more pounds of muscle) Fast in the flats and going downhill. But anytime the road turns upwards I will get dropped by everyone. I roll up on people all of the time. But if there is a hill in the near future I have to sit behind them and not pass because once the hill comes they will be passing me back. Then going down the backside of the hill I come right back up on them quickly. They look around and think I am making a race out of it. This is why I announce my intentions early on when I first come up on them.
Which is what you wanted in the first place from the hippie.
05-31-12, 02:22 PM
#14
The Weird Beard
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2005
Location: COS
Posts: 8,554
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Who's to say he was wheelsucking? It was a wicked downhill after all. You didn't detail his size but he and his bike's combined weight might have made him faster down the hill. You could have been holding him up and he was nice enough not to attempt a pass and really create a dangerous situation. Or he could have been wheelsucking after all.
It happens to me all of the time. I am a 5' 8" 200lb heavily muscled sprinter type.(think Cavendish with 30 more pounds of muscle) Fast in the flats and going downhill. But anytime the road turns upwards I will get dropped by everyone. I roll up on people all of the time. But if there is a hill in the near future I have to sit behind them and not pass because once the hill comes they will be passing me back. Then going down the backside of the hill I come right back up on them quickly. They look around and think I am making a race out of it. This is why I announce my intentions early on when I first come up on them.
Which is what you wanted in the first place from the hippie.
It happens to me all of the time. I am a 5' 8" 200lb heavily muscled sprinter type.(think Cavendish with 30 more pounds of muscle) Fast in the flats and going downhill. But anytime the road turns upwards I will get dropped by everyone. I roll up on people all of the time. But if there is a hill in the near future I have to sit behind them and not pass because once the hill comes they will be passing me back. Then going down the backside of the hill I come right back up on them quickly. They look around and think I am making a race out of it. This is why I announce my intentions early on when I first come up on them.
Which is what you wanted in the first place from the hippie.
Anyone can draft and keep up with the lead on this hill, it's the announcement of one's presence that is required.
05-31-12, 02:25 PM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: CT
Posts: 178
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I too am not a fan of the unannouced drafter but in a recent charity ride the drafter took a pull and had a cabosse on her worth following. Moral of the story, it's not always bad.
05-31-12, 02:27 PM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Near Sacramento
Posts: 4,886
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Absolutely it's wrong. It's rude too. I liken it to hopping in the bed of a pickup at a stop light and taking a ride for a while, and then hopping out later on at another light.
If you want to hop on my wheel, ask - if I'm not involved in a private conversation at the time, it'll be ok. Heck, I could probably use some company and would welcome a random chat. If you don't ask, then I'll either drop you or slow down to let you pass, depending on how I feel at that point in the ride.
If you want to hop on my wheel, ask - if I'm not involved in a private conversation at the time, it'll be ok. Heck, I could probably use some company and would welcome a random chat. If you don't ask, then I'll either drop you or slow down to let you pass, depending on how I feel at that point in the ride.
__________________
-------
Some sort of pithy irrelevant one-liner should go here.
-------
Some sort of pithy irrelevant one-liner should go here.
05-31-12, 02:34 PM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 8,550
Bikes: Wilier Izoard XP (Record);Cinelli Xperience (Force);Specialized Allez (Rival);Bianchi Via Nirone 7 (Centaur); Colnago AC-R Disc;Colnago V1r Limited Edition;De Rosa King 3 Limited(Force 22);DeRosa Merak(Red):Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Hydro(Di2)
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 551 Post(s)
Liked 277 Times
in
145 Posts
Socks and sandals are just wrong, no one has to be subjected to that! The unannounced, unsolicited wheel suckery is bad, too!
05-31-12, 02:35 PM
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,515
Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3241 Post(s)
Liked 2,512 Times
in
1,510 Posts
That's why I always announce early on.
05-31-12, 02:35 PM
#21
Senior Member
05-31-12, 02:45 PM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Above ground, Walnut Creek, Ca
Posts: 6,681
Bikes: 8 ss bikes, 1 5-speed touring bike
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 86 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
4 Posts
i always feel flattered when i'm deemed to be wheel-suck worthy...
05-31-12, 02:48 PM
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 13,447
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4236 Post(s)
Liked 2,949 Times
in
1,808 Posts
very noisily break wind (or simulate the sounds thereof with your mouth as moistly as possible). that or snot rockets.
__________________
Bikes: 1996 Eddy Merckx Titanium EX, 1989/90 Colnago Super(issimo?) Piu(?),1990 Concorde Aquila(hit by car while riding), others in build queue "when I get the time"
Bikes: 1996 Eddy Merckx Titanium EX, 1989/90 Colnago Super(issimo?) Piu(?),
05-31-12, 02:50 PM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sacramento, CA
Posts: 515
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
There's this one shameless wheelsucker on my commute. I have tried talking to the guy, to tell him it's customary to say hello or announce yourself. I have also tried to see if I could get him to trade pulls. No dice, he just wants to sit there. So now when I see him up ahead, I dial it up to 400w and pass as quickly and as far left as possible.
People just starting out with cycling tend to think it's just what you do. I remember I had a brief phase of doing this. So, I try to be nice and give the guy a clue, but no luck so far.
People just starting out with cycling tend to think it's just what you do. I remember I had a brief phase of doing this. So, I try to be nice and give the guy a clue, but no luck so far.