Randall Schulz said:Quoted message said:Not meaning to sound too negative, but it really was his fault. You
could have offered a verbal warning just before slowing ("Slowing!"😉.
All depends on circumstance, but *still* his fault.
OK, but it's not as if the forward rider has no responsibility to ride
predictably and give the necessary warnings and signals, and that's what
I'm feeling a little clueless about.
You're right and virtually all the replies to your initial post
totally miss the point. Which is this drafting guy did NOT crash when
you suddenly slowed - sounds like he WAS a skilled - so there was no
harm or foul and no "fault" whatsoever on his part.
His point later was simply that it is customary and common sense to
ride attentively and courteously when in a paceline. Anybody who
opines that "the rider behind has 100% responsibility" is someone you
should pay 0% attention to. They obviously have no clue about or
experience in pacelines, and are not answering your question.
Pacelines consist of a group or pack of bicycle riders traveling at
fairly high speeds, following one another in close proximity. The
effects and advantages of drafting behind other riders is too basic
and obvious to repeat here. To get the best effect, each rider's
front wheel will be as close as 6 inches to the rear wheel of the
rider in front of them. It does not take rocket science to figure out
that due to this proximity, any sudden or unpredictable move by any
rider in front can have disastrous consequences for riders in back.
Same applies to the responsibility of the first rider to point at or
call out obstacles in the road - pot holes, glass, tracks, etc. -
which the front rider can see, but the following riders cannot, due,
again, to the proximity of those in front blocking their view. You
ARE your brother's keeper: by the fact of joining in with a group or
other people who are synergetically performing as a group, you are
tacitly assuming responsibility to do your part to help make a
potentially dangerous activity as safe as possible for the entire
group.
Obviously, part of your responsibility - and probably the greatest
part - is to look out for yourself. Nobody is suggesting that when
you are on someone else's wheel you have in ANY WAY abdicated your
duty to ride defensively and be ready to react and respond if that
wheel stops, slows or moves. But we are suggesting that when you are
in front, you minimize or eliminate as much unpredictable, squirrely,
and sudden movements as possible as courtesy to those behind
Otherwise, by all means, do NOT ride in groups. No pack or paceline
riders want narcissistic, selfish geeks who think they can do
whatever they please without consequence in their midst.
How do you learn? There are clubs around which give instruction, but
the usual way is simply to show up at group rides, participate, watch,
learn by experience. Stay in the rear of the group, be attentive.
Riding in groups can be a great pleasure.
