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Is it rude to draft people on the open road?

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  • April 30, 2013 at 12:00 am #18638
    Leviathan

    Today I was extending my route home from work to take in some of the lovely smooth roads around Dunham Massey, but first I had to get out through the suburbs of Manchester. When I got to a junction in Flixton I pulled up behind another quite roady looking guy. Still had winter tights on, but maybe he though it would rain. We pulled away from the lights and I found myself following him. I was getting quite close behind him, like 2m sometimes and was actually wondering if I was getting any drafting effect from him as it was quite windy. However, I kept falling behind to 10m as I was often worried about not seeing the potholes coming.

    He seemed to be averaging about 28kph so I eased off a couple of times as the road was quite narrow with overtaking cars, so not much chance to pass. After about 2.5km the road widened out and was a slight down slope. Now I like to take a bit of free speed and will happily push downhill, so I sped up and overtook him. I would like to average 30 and though I would ease away from him.

    However as I glanced back for the occasional car/junction, I could see he was now following me just as closely. Either I had slowed down a bit or he had sped up to keep up with me. Was he getting revenge for me tailing him? He followed me through Partington until I turned off, thinking ‘Well done mate, you win’ part annoyed, part sarcastically.

    This quite annoys me, these ‘Speeder uppers’ this one was quite subtle but I have seen other more conspicuous examples where they suddenly realize they want to go faster once they have been passed. I find it a bit off putting and distracting on the road to have someone follow me closely. I think, this isn’t a race and if it was you already lost when I caught up to you, why have you changed your tune now?

    Just me?

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Viewing 15 replies - 16 through 30 (of 44 total)
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  • May 6, 2013 at 2:04 am #731145
    0
    PhilRuss

    [[[[[ I’m quite happy to have
    [[[[[ I’m quite happy to have someone sitting on, as two riders are less likely to get hassled by drivers, and I myself often draft/draught/drarfed/wheel-suck, (not rubber-to-rubber, of course), as there’s “safety in numbers”….totally off-message I know, but I’ve lost count of incidents with nincompoop drivers here in Le Grand Smoke…
    P.R.

    May 5, 2013 at 1:47 pm #731143
    0
    dr max

    Cauld Lubter wrote:You get

    Cauld Lubter wrote:
    You get drafted into the Army, you get a draught from an open window, in this application it’s to do with airflow and drag, so it’s draught.
    We are not Americans.

    You get drafted into the [b]US[/b] Army. As you say, we are not Americans – it’s merely draught. “Draft” refers to a first iteration of something written eg of a letter.

    May 5, 2013 at 11:00 am #731141
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    Daclu Trelub

    You get drafted into the
    You get drafted into the Army, you get a draught from an open window, in this application it’s to do with airflow and drag, so it’s draught.
    We are not Americans.

    May 2, 2013 at 9:28 am #731139
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    jova54

    Some Fella wrote:I wish i

    Some Fella wrote:
    I wish i could ride fast enough for someone to want to draught* me. 🙁

    +1

    I think it is draft BTW, the other one is for beer 😉

    May 2, 2013 at 8:59 am #731137
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    Tjuice

    I say just chill out. I
    I say just chill out. I reckon it’s flattering having someone sit in your wheel.

    It used to bother me having someone draft during my commute, but actually, it has no impact on me (provided that person is not riding like a nutter), so if it helps them, I can feel good about myself. Once, when I stopped at a traffic light, my drafter, a quick cyclist on a nice bike, complimented me on my pace – I felt good for the rest of the journey!

    When I’m out training (solo), it can feel a little less lonely if I suddenly find someone tucked in behind, with whom I can interact to inform about potholes/obstacles, etc. Also, very good motivation to keep pushing hard.

    So, all in all, I see no reason to get bothered by a drafter.

    May 2, 2013 at 12:36 am #731135
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    Tour Le Tour

    I have no problem with people
    I have no problem with people drafting me. Doesn’t slow me down, and presents much less danger than all the cars. By the same token, I am happy to sit on a stranger’s wheel if it is a good one, although I will play it pretty carefully until I have seen how they ride and will always try to say hi if I think I will be there for any distance.

    May 1, 2013 at 9:19 pm #731133
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    spongebob

    Just drop him if you are so
    Just drop him if you are so superior to the ‘speeder upper’

    May 1, 2013 at 8:38 pm #731131
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    Leviathan

    I realize the main reason
    I realize the main reason this is bothering me is I am so used to cars zooming up behind me and lurching around on my tail looking for any where to get past. You can even wave them past on an open corner but they won’t go until they can get all the way onto the other side. I can be in a clearly marked cycle lane and some drivers won’t just go straight.* Makes me think very few drivers know how wide their cars are. Very unnerving so when another rider does it it is distracting, sorry.

    *Also drivers who swing left when driving across a junction: the lane on the other side is in the same place, just drive straight!

    May 1, 2013 at 6:45 pm #731129
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    cojones

    I think it’s ok for a brief
    I think it’s ok for a brief period, anything more than half a mile or so needs some dialogue to happen first.

    I’ve done it for longer cycling in Spain where a couple of ‘Hola’s were shouted out first, but I did make certain that I didn’t outstay my welcome on his wheel and pulled in front to share the workload quite quickly!

    May 1, 2013 at 10:20 am #731127
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    notfastenough

    It would be if I thought he
    It would be if I thought he was joking.

    May 1, 2013 at 9:59 am #731125
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    cidermart

    tommyketchup wrote:I don’t do

    tommyketchup wrote:
    I don’t do team rides. I ride by my lonesome, just how I like it. I am very antisocial, and deliberately avoid large groups of people, especially at bus stops, and Greggs, and other condiments.

    I won’t even stand next to a newspaper stand if more than 1 person is waiting to be served.

    Fish’n’chips shops are my worst nightmare, if you are at the till, and the woman says ‘ we are just making some more chips’ and other people start drifting in, I go stir crazy and start stabbing people with them wooden forks.

    So, the moral of the story is, don’t mix tommyketchup with anything else, he is a standalone sorta guy.

    =)) Brilliant.

    May 1, 2013 at 9:24 am #731123
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    tommyketchup

    I don’t do team rides. I
    I don’t do team rides. I ride by my lonesome, just how I like it. I am very antisocial, and deliberately avoid large groups of people, especially at bus stops, and Greggs, and other condiments.

    I won’t even stand next to a newspaper stand if more than 1 person is waiting to be served.

    Fish’n’chips shops are my worst nightmare, if you are at the till, and the woman says ‘ we are just making some more chips’ and other people start drifting in, I go stir crazy and start stabbing people with them wooden forks.

    So, the moral of the story is, don’t mix tommyketchup with anything else, he is a standalone sorta guy.

    April 30, 2013 at 9:59 pm #731121
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    Eg3ftp1

    Why wouldn’t he speed up when
    Why wouldn’t he speed up when you pass him? He gets to go faster for the same effort! You’re doing a fellow cyclist a favour letting him ride in your slipstream, just feel good about yourself for a bit and see if he pulls for a bit later on. If you’re going to get grumpy about it you might as well be in a car.

    April 30, 2013 at 6:35 pm #731119
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    TheHatter

    Alan Tullett wrote:
    Usually a

    Alan Tullett wrote:

    Usually a good idea to say hi going past; that generally helps prevent any problems.

    +1 (though frankly tragic that it needs to be pointed out)

    April 30, 2013 at 6:15 pm #731117
    0
    Some Fella

    I wish i could ride fast
    I wish i could ride fast enough for someone to want to draught* me. 🙁

    *is it draft or draught? I dont mean to be pedantic but i think its draught

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