hueyhoolihan

next time out i'll take my bullhorn with me and when i get about 50 feet behind them i'll announce, "Hey you up ahead, i plan on passing you so get ready!". if i blow up first i'll give them an, "oh, nevermind, i overestimated myself (again).". how's that?

hueyhoolihan

yes!, that would definitely be me. i'll let the reader decide who is the humiliater and the humiliated.

OTOH with a few word changes it becomes, "Some stronger riders like to humiliate even stronger riders that may or may not be struggling, just to pass, then quickly turn off, especially those with mirrors.".

2manybikes

Where is that?

Oldhead

Its not that he was drafting me, heck I'd draft me on a windy day, I'm a big guy (230 lbs at 6') with wide shoulders. It was the fact that he caught me so quick at the pace I was going.

kv501

Northwest Iowa.

caloso

Perfect.

spdntrxi

I tend to hang back out of drafting range.

...may pass if we hit a traffic light or something else where the pace might slow like a hill. I don't pass many but that is my strategy. I really have not had anyone draft me for anything of time.

Reynolds 

There's many styles, from the guy who asks like a favor to draft "if he can keep up", to the ones who approach silently, draft you for 1 hr, never pull or even say a word, then vanish.

hueyhoolihan

i prefer the second type. if they say something like that, or heck, utter even a single word, i know i'll have to try and drop them...

i blame my grandfather. pretty sure i got the gene from him.

StanSeven

I did the exact opposite. Once a nice looking woman pulled up besides and we chatted. She said she likes company. We came to a long stretch of narrow road with lots of traffic. I pulled in front and set a good pace. I couldn't see behind with all the traffic and when the road widened, she wasn't there. In my showing off, I dropped her!

spdntrxi

last time someone drafted me.. it was 2 tandems and 3-4 solos... I dragged them nearly to end of the road to turn up hill. I never heard them with all the wind and when they finally decided to pass me, I was kind of shocked because not a word from them and they passed me rather closely. Hit the turn and started the climb. I passed them all like they were standing still and promptly flatted the rear tire at the crest

f4rrest

Never would have been an issue if only you had a mirror.

h2oxtc

After reading this thread I'll be afraid to ride up behind or pass anyone for fear of them being on BF.

So much for "carrots" ...

woodcraft

lol!

hueyhoolihan

ya, and what in the world is the point of riding in FRONT? really.

gamby

I was in la-la land on a windy 38 degree day on my usual MUP when all of the sudden, I heard a sniffle inches behind me. Turned out to be a female "familiar stranger" I see on that path regularly (recognized her bike--blue and white Cannondale).

I said "nice day for a draft". She apologized for not announcing herself and joked that the wind was a ***** for someone her size (small). I told her she could hold my wheel as long as she wanted, but I unknowingly dropped her after a few miles.

A couple months prior, I met up with an older guy who was struggling for a decent pace, so I ended up pulling him for about 8 miles (same MUP). Super friendly dude and we had a nice conversation.

I never grab a stranger's wheel. If I'm feeling sociable, I'll pull aside him/her.

thump55

OP- Stories with hot chicks get more run here.

This thread will hit three pages, but if you had said it was a hot chick following you, we'd already be on page six and have several Stensland/Hatch photos...

waters60

I have used a mirror for years and frequently pass other riders. Far from being geeky, it has literally saved my life on a few occasions. I have a far better ability to see who is coming up from behind me. I used to think helmets were geeky too. An added benefit is fun to &#*% with riders coming up from behind, being able to keep distance on them without the obvious turn of the head!
What I find weird is cyclists not exchanging greetings, passing or being passed, saying hello and getting not much in return. Most of us love riding and, personally, it puts me in a good mood. Of course there are the riders who are too cool for us mere mirror wearing mortals to talk to!

therhodeo

This always surprises me. I have a good cycling friend who I met one night on a ride and we were both struggling with a 20mph south wind so I asked if he wanted to trade pulls for a while. I needed the help and so did he. 4 years later and I still hear from him. On the other hand there was a local tri guy who was notorious for passing too close or coming up behind people with his head down and blow by without saying a word. I finally met him a while later and wished I could have went back to not knowing him. We weren't fellow cyclist, we were just in his way.

Yankeetowner

I don't have a mirror, but recently noticed a second shadow that startled me a little. I noticed another rider drafting and he stayed with me for 2-3 miles until he passed at a street crossing. I then drafted him for 2-3 miles until the next street crossing. I unknowingly dropped him, and when I noticed I waited for him and we rode together and talked. We now know each other and we have ridden together once since then and said hello a couple of other times. He is about half my age, so as he progresses he'll been too fast to enjoy riding with me, but we'll always say hello. I didn't know what the norms or customs were in this situation, but ended up making a friend/acquaintance.

roadwarrior

Good answer.

OldsCOOL

There it is.

roadwarrior

I say hello because with helmet and glasses it is hard to tell who the rider might be, and many many times I have come across someone to whom I sold a bike.
I especially do that if they are riding a brand we sell...

canam73

I wave or nod at most every rider I see. Some wave back others don't. If they act too important I call them a jackass.

roadwarrior

Factoid:

People who wear +$300 bib shorts that they actually paid for never wave back at you.