Don't draft me!

[font=Helv]I've never understood this mentality. It's never happened to me, but I've heard of lots of instances just like yours. What on earth is wrong with drafting someone? If I'm training, you can draft behind me as much as you like. If it's a long event, then people should take their fair share of the work in front...but why someone would get agro when you draft behind them during a commute...is beyond me.

[/font]

Walrus said:

I've never understood this mentality. It's never happened to me, but
I've heard of lots of instances just like yours. What on earth is wrong
with drafting someone? If I'm training, you can draft behind me as much
as you like. If it's a long event, then people should take their fair
share of the work in front...but why someone would get agro when you
draft behind them during a commute...is beyond me.
--
Walrus

Exactly. I don't care if someone drafts me on a commute (in fact, I'd
be flattered... *grins*). So long as they don't expect me to be
signalling all over the place (as opposed to on a planned
group/training ride) then its all good.....

Cheers,
Abby

Bean Long said:

About 100 m
up the road he realises I'm on his wheel and then pull's slightly to
the left. I wasn't sure what he was doing exactly but I stuck with
him and just gave him a bit of room, thinking something was amiss.
Suddenly he brakes and I shoot past. Not a word from him, just hard
braking. I continued riding thinking he'd stopped to adjust his
knicks or something.
A few moments later he burls past shouting "don't draft me mate!".

Drafting is something you do on a racetrack, with people you know and whose
abilities you trust. Cars do it, motorcycles do it, bicycles do it, even
runners do it, in racing conditions. It is an accepted tactic in racing and
everybody does it.

On the road, the same tactic is called tailgating. It is dangerous and
illegal. Should an accident happen, guess whose fault it is, both morally
and legally. Sure I've done it, but only with somebody I knew very well, who
was expecting it, there was agreement between us, and I took my turn at the
front.

Theo

Bean Long said:

God what a weird couple of rides lately. This morning I'm coming in on
Yarra Glen/Adelaide Ave and this guy on a flat bar with TT bars shoots
past. He's doing a fair click (~40-45) and has legs like a billiard
table (no... he only has two but very large), so I jump on his wheel. I
was thinking at the time that it's too hot for a push before tonight's
crits but what the hey, good exercise. About 100 m up the road he
realises I'm on his wheel and then pull's slightly to the left. I
wasn't sure what he was doing exactly but I stuck with him and just gave
him a bit of room, thinking something was amiss. Suddenly he brakes and
I shoot past. Not a word from him, just hard braking. I continued
riding thinking he'd stopped to adjust his knicks or something.

SNIP

Quoted message said:

His response may have been a little extreme, but I'm not keen on
complete strangers drafting me either on the commute so I can understand
it. I don't want someone sitting on my wheel with no idea of what their
skills are like for the same reason that some bunches will make it
obvious you aren't welcome. If you want to draft why not call out and
see if you get a favourable response.

DaveB

Theo Bekkers said:

On the road, the same tactic is called tailgating. It is dangerous and illegal. Should an accident happen, guess whose fault it is, both morally and legally. Sure I've done it, but only with somebody I knew very well, who was expecting it, there was agreement between us, and I took my turn at the front.
Theo

When I commute (Melbourne trails from CBD to Eastern suburbs) there are times when the mix of oncoming traffic, tight corners, ramps and pedestrians means that I have to sit behind someone until an opportunity arrives to pass them. This can be up to 1km at times. I don't sit 10cm from their wheel, but all the same...I don't want to slow down to a crawl.

Is "tailgating" illegal on a designated bike trail/path?

Theo Bekkers said:

Bean Long said:

About 100 m
up the road he realises I'm on his wheel and then pull's slightly to
the left. I wasn't sure what he was doing exactly but I stuck with
him and just gave him a bit of room, thinking something was amiss.
Suddenly he brakes and I shoot past. Not a word from him, just hard
braking. I continued riding thinking he'd stopped to adjust his
knicks or something.
A few moments later he burls past shouting "don't draft me mate!".

Drafting is something you do on a racetrack, with people you know and whose
abilities you trust. Cars do it, motorcycles do it, bicycles do it, even
runners do it, in racing conditions. It is an accepted tactic in racing and
everybody does it.

On the road, the same tactic is called tailgating. It is dangerous and
illegal. Should an accident happen, guess whose fault it is, both morally
and legally. Sure I've done it, but only with somebody I knew very well, who
was expecting it, there was agreement between us, and I took my turn at the
front.

Theo

Fair comment and point taken. It's because I didn't know the guy that I
wasn't right up his ar$e and I s'pose that why I didn't have an
accident. I can't work out why he didn't want anyone on his wheel
though, it's not like it would have slowed him down.

--
Bean

"I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it" Pink Floyd

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

Walrus said:

I've never understood this mentality. It's never happened to me, but
I've heard of lots of instances just like yours. What on earth is wrong
with drafting someone? If I'm training, you can draft behind me as much
as you like. If it's a long event, then people should take their fair
share of the work in front...but why someone would get agro when you
draft behind them during a commute...is beyond me.

--
Walrus

It pisses me off when some coot jumps on for the suck. I like getting
on in my own world. I don't want to have to point, call, not snot at
will and disturb my thoughts for them. That said, trying to crash them
out is a bit off - the really persistent bod who doesn't take a hint
from hawking might actually cop the snot rocket.

Donga

Theo Bekkers said:

Bean Long said:

About 100 m
up the road he realises I'm on his wheel and then pull's slightly to
the left. I wasn't sure what he was doing exactly but I stuck with
him and just gave him a bit of room, thinking something was amiss.
Suddenly he brakes and I shoot past. Not a word from him, just hard
braking. I continued riding thinking he'd stopped to adjust his
knicks or something.
A few moments later he burls past shouting "don't draft me mate!".

Drafting is something you do on a racetrack, with people you know and whose
abilities you trust. Cars do it, motorcycles do it, bicycles do it, even
runners do it, in racing conditions. It is an accepted tactic in racing and
everybody does it.

When I'm riding, if someone drafts me, I don't care, it's their risk,
not mine. If I'm doing an interval around a velodrone and someone
hooks on,. unless they're doing it to use me as a leadout or something
it's a waste of their time, but hey, the air's free .. sniff my [censored] if
you like ... *I* can see what's up ahead, if they choose to trust me,
that's their judgement call. Likewise if I choose to draft someone,
it's my risk decision to suck wheel or not.

Quoted message said:

On the road, the same tactic is called tailgating. It is dangerous and
illegal. Should an accident happen, guess whose fault it is, both morally
and legally.

Who's fault is it?

Donga said:

Walrus said:

I've never understood this mentality. It's never happened to me, but
I've heard of lots of instances just like yours. What on earth is wrong
with drafting someone? If I'm training, you can draft behind me as much
as you like. If it's a long event, then people should take their fair
share of the work in front...but why someone would get agro when you
draft behind them during a commute...is beyond me.

--
Walrus

It pisses me off when some coot jumps on for the suck. I like getting
on in my own world. I don't want to have to point, call, not snot at
will and disturb my thoughts for them. That said, trying to crash them
out is a bit off - the really persistent bod who doesn't take a hint
from hawking might actually cop the snot rocket.

Donga

That's probably my reason for not liking it... if I wanted
to be signalling I'd be in a bunch ride. That being said,
if someone jumps on and doesn't say g'day, I generally
pretend I don't know they're back there. They usually sing
out after the first few jet gollies (aka snot rockets).

Tam*ever classy*

"Theo Bekkers" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bean Long said:

About 100 m
up the road he realises I'm on his wheel and then pull's slightly to
the left. I wasn't sure what he was doing exactly but I stuck with
him and just gave him a bit of room, thinking something was amiss.
Suddenly he brakes and I shoot past. Not a word from him, just hard
braking. I continued riding thinking he'd stopped to adjust his
knicks or something.
A few moments later he burls past shouting "don't draft me mate!".

Drafting is something you do on a racetrack, with people you know and
whose abilities you trust. Cars do it, motorcycles do it, bicycles do it,
even runners do it, in racing conditions. It is an accepted tactic in
racing and everybody does it.

On the road, the same tactic is called tailgating. It is dangerous and
illegal. Should an accident happen, guess whose fault it is, both morally
and legally. Sure I've done it, but only with somebody I knew very well,
who was expecting it, there was agreement between us, and I took my turn
at the front.

Theo

I don't mind people drafting me, I have even said to them once they were on
my wheel "your welcome to get a tow mate".

Then it is the matter if they can stay there for any length of time, if they
can hold my wheel they most likely have the skills to be safe back there.

I don't accelerate to get rid of them I just ride at my pace, I even slow
down to let them get on sometimes and just slowly increase the pace back to
my normal speeds.

On the flat I usually sit on 36 km/h if I am on a easy slow ride, and 38
km/h if I am feeling like a brisk ride, and if I am feeling good and have a
bit of a tail wind I will go around 45 km/h, not many non racing types will
hold those speeds for very long 😉

DaveB said:

His response may have been a little extreme, but I'm not keen on
complete strangers drafting me either on the commute so I can understand
it. I don't want someone sitting on my wheel with no idea of what their
skills are like for the same reason that some bunches will make it
obvious you aren't welcome. If you want to draft why not call out and
see if you get a favourable response.

DaveB

Yep... another fair comment. Only problem was I'd been behind him for
only about 8 seconds and was about to announce my presence when the
brakes came on. He clearly just wanted a little time to himself. As I
said, if he'd made his intentions clear by using his voice rather than
braking in front of me I would have been plenty happy. He clearly knew
I'd just got on his tail but didn't even give himself the chance to say
"clear off". In my mind his actions were malicious, not courteous. I
often ride with other commuters along this stretch taking turns at the
front and I guess I slipped into a usual routine without having the
opportunity for a good chin-wag first. I've certainly learned something
today :-)

--
Bean

"I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it" Pink Floyd

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

See I don't have a problem with people wheel sucking me. However, I do have a problem with people who wheel suck for several k's, then overtake me. I get that quite a bit and it sh!ts me. I figure they think I don't know they've wheel sucked me and want to show me how big their p#nis is by passing me. I did once call out something along the lines of "Hey, your turn buddy!" to someone who them promptly slowed a little and let me on his wheel.

LotteBum said:

See I don't have a problem with people wheel sucking me. However, I do have a problem with people who wheel suck for several k's, then overtake me. I get that quite a bit and it sh!ts me. I figure they think I don't know they've wheel sucked me and want to show me how big their p#nis is by passing me. I did once call out something along the lines of "Hey, your turn buddy!" to someone who them promptly slowed a little and let me on his wheel.

[font=Helv]What I hate is when weaker riders pass you, then rides slow. [/font]
[font=Helv][/font]
[font=Helv]I was riding the Kew Boulevard once with a mate, we were cruising and chatting sitting side by side on the ample shoulder. This knob kept overtaking us on the downhill, then we'd overtake him on the uphill (ps. anyone can ride downhill fast 😉 ). After 4 or 5 times, he started giving us a dirty look everytime he passed us on the downhills. I pulled up next to him and said "mate, we're riding at a consistent pace, you're the one who's yo-yoing." We pulled past him again on the next uphill (we were still cruising). Then as we got onto Victoria St to go into the city, he tears passed at 40kph in the gutter (in peak hour!) and mumbles some abuse at us.
We just laughed it off.

[/font]

Boostland said:

I don't mind people drafting me, I have even said to them once they were on
my wheel "your welcome to get a tow mate".

Then it is the matter if they can stay there for any length of time, if they
can hold my wheel they most likely have the skills to be safe back there.

I don't accelerate to get rid of them I just ride at my pace, I even slow
down to let them get on sometimes and just slowly increase the pace back to
my normal speeds.

I'm just the same and perhaps that's the reason I had this problem. I'm
always happy to have someone hook on the back and immediately I notice
them there I keep them in mind and point out obstacles and call out when
appropriate. I've been lulled into the idea that everyone around here
is happy to do it. I guess I came across the wrong guy this time. I'll
be more careful next time and be sure I have a good long chat about how
people are feeling and whether or not they'd like to share the load out
front.

--
Bean "thinking of taking up psychiatry"

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

On 2006-11-28, Bean Long (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

Theo Bekkers said:

Bean Long said:

About 100 m
up the road he realises I'm on his wheel and then pull's slightly to
the left. I wasn't sure what he was doing exactly but I stuck with
him and just gave him a bit of room, thinking something was amiss.
Suddenly he brakes and I shoot past. Not a word from him, just hard
braking. I continued riding thinking he'd stopped to adjust his
knicks or something.
A few moments later he burls past shouting "don't draft me mate!".

Drafting is something you do on a racetrack, with people you know and whose
abilities you trust. Cars do it, motorcycles do it, bicycles do it, even
runners do it, in racing conditions. It is an accepted tactic in racing and
everybody does it.

On the road, the same tactic is called tailgating. It is dangerous and
illegal. Should an accident happen, guess whose fault it is, both morally
and legally. Sure I've done it, but only with somebody I knew very well, who
was expecting it, there was agreement between us, and I took my turn at the
front.

Theo

Fair comment and point taken. It's because I didn't know the guy that I
wasn't right up his ar$e and I s'pose that why I didn't have an
accident. I can't work out why he didn't want anyone on his wheel
though, it's not like it would have slowed him down.

Perhaps because the presense of his TT bars signalling that perhaps he
was training for a TT? Not training to let someone draft off him?

--
TimC
Five is a sufficiently close approximation to infinity.
-- Robert Firth

TimC said:

Perhaps because the presense of his TT bars signalling that perhaps he
was training for a TT? Not training to let someone draft off him?

He had TT bars on a flat bar roadie with ~30 mm tyres, knicks, a crappy
old T-shirt and a back-pack. He was on his way to work. Besides, if I
was drafting then to him I may as well not have been there. If he
wanted to train for a TT then he should have been at the ITT's on Monday
night... I didn't see him there! :-) Or alternatively he could have
taken the kind opportunity I gave him to draft me!

--
Bean

"I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could
But I borrowed it" Pink Floyd

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

OzCableguy said:

Hey, I resemble that remark!
It's a natural phenomenon. Us big fellas go downhill a lot faster than the
average sized cyclist (whether we try to or not) so we find we're always
passing people going down but on the way up the other side the opposite
applies. :-(

It wasn't like that...don't get offended 😉. This guy was average build, out of the saddle on the downhills and then almost dying on the uphills. It wasn't as if he was rolling by us on the downhills on physics alone. I didn't mean to have a swipe at all the bigger chaps out there :o .

"Walrus" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was riding the Kew Boulevard once with a mate, we were cruising and
chatting sitting side by side on the ample shoulder. This knob kept
overtaking us on the downhill, then we'd overtake him on the uphill
(ps. anyone can ride downhill fast 😉 ).

Hey, I resemble that remark!
It's a natural phenomenon. Us big fellas go downhill a lot faster than the
average sized cyclist (whether we try to or not) so we find we're always
passing people going down but on the way up the other side the opposite
applies. :-(

--
www.ozcableguy.com
www.oztechnologies.com

Bleve said:

Theo Bekkers wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On the road, the same tactic is called tailgating. It is dangerous
and illegal. Should an accident happen, guess whose fault it is,
both morally and legally.

Quoted message said:

Who's fault is it?

The tailee, of course. Try running up the back of some-one in a car and
saying "It wasn't my fault".
I never liked being drafted on my commute because of the danger factor.

Theo