Random Wheelsuckers

[daveinzambia]

Not really been an issue for me.

Recently while riding up a steep climb with traffic a guy came up behind me and said, 'not much drafting at this speed' think it was just a nice way of letting me know he was there, was going a little faster than me but could not pass so was going to sit there a bit.

but in general i am on my own, and people do not draft me and i do not draft them.

i did have an uncomfortable moment in the park recently when a group ride caught me and started to overtake but then seemed to settle at the same speed along side me. i was tired, doing my ride and did not feel like easing off and waiting for them to ride off but also felt uncomfortable sitting there, especially as front of group started to move over in front of me. in the end i just turned off where i could.

generally avoid group rides and all seems a bit unfriendly and frankly not that much fun. I also generally ride to get away from it all

 

[42x16ss]

The racer in me expects that people that I pass should try and hold on to my wheel. It does not stress me at all and if they are a bit all over the place I just tell them where to sit and encourage them to ride smoothly. Its a good way to teach people.

Most of my riding is in the country and alone. I have to ride down Melbourne's Beach road every now and then and find the supposed "ettiqutte" re riding now to be a total PITA. With so many people riding that road, there are going to be plenty of times where you are going to have to ride with people that you dont know. I have had times where I have doubled back on a roundabout to get home and have come out behind a small group that is riding at a similar pace to me. What do you do? Ride past and sit 20 meters in front (people hate that too), slow down and let them get a couple of hundred meters only to have another group pass you now at the pace you were going, or just sit in with the group for a while?

I have had people give me a mouthfull for no real reason and there is always the assumption that the mouthfull giver knows "the rules" and you are some sort of idiot. I have to admit that the rules perhaps have changed. When I started cycling you spent years earning the right to ride "scratch" at club handicaps or opens, but it seems now that for many riders you "earn" the right to be one of the cool kids who can ride in a certain bunch. It is often framed around safety, but my experience has been that what allows you to ride with certain people is more to do with their look, and their belief that they are pretty hot s--t and they just dont want some bloke in daggy old knicks to be seen with them.

For the original poster, I would say that if you really dont want someone to follow you, just turn around and say "No offence mate but would you mind if I rode on my own?" That has worked for me when doing intervals and the like. The other option is to just take a few deep ones and concentrate on the road ahead. Lifes to short for looking back in anger.

Obviously there are going to be occasions where you are going to be stuck behind - or in front of a bunch or lone rider. That's just expected. What I'm talking about is wheel sucking with an agression so bad it's anti social.

If I pick another wheelsucker as bad as the one that inspired my OP (this guy was particularly bad) I'll try what you suggested, it's probably the best solution so far.

 

[Sidbike]

What exactly are do you do up front man, i gotta know.

Not sure if this is what you're supposed to do but I seem to do a lot of suffering in front, ha!

 

[Sidbike]

I would no sooner jump in behind a training group in full hammer than dive into a lane of swimmers doing an interval session. It doesn't matter that you might be strong enough to keep up. These people are busy and that should be respectd. This should be clear to anybody.

Yeah, I thought it would be like starting a tennis match on an occupied court at a public park.

 

[richwagmn]

Every once in a while I'll be coming back into town and someone will latch onto my wheel and say something like "I'm wiped out--mind if I tag a ride?" I don't mind towing someone if they actually, you know, interact with me. Glad to help, really.

That's pretty cool. Who hasn't been totally fried on a ride with a long ways to home and wishing they had a wheel a draft?

I think the only time I've drafted someone I didn't know was waiting for a safe passing opportunity.

There are times when you just hook up with another rider, chat for a bit and then decide to ride together (which will probably include some drafting). I've had some really cool rides doing that. Sure makes the miles go a lot faster.

 

[Boeing]

Not sure if this is what you're supposed to do but I seem to do a lot of suffering in front, ha!

New thread or transition : Random dudes at the front

because after all the random wheel suck typically has enough moxie to try to help. you can always tell a hack when they hit is full tilt and leave you aor others no room or time to ease off and back in. Like dude wtf you cant hols my wheel now

hahaha

 

[Deagol]

i love it when roadies on $10k+ oltre carbon exotica latch onto the backwheel of my 50lb 1970s paperboy bike. I find the nearest 20% climb and drop them like a stone and...

Oh, sorry...i seemed to be channeling durianrider there for a moment. Phew, that was scary being inside the head of that man, but i did get to see his gf naked, though.

best post ever ...

 

[fatsprintking]

Yeah, I thought it would be like starting a tennis match on an occupied court at a public park.

You reckon! I gotta get me some of this zen like action that must come from being in my own little impenetrable group or space on the public road. I honestly didn’t realize it was such a big deal. Looks like I am the Fred that I always had a sneaking suspicion I was.

Can anyone tell me where you get the new rule book and who its written by?

 

[Sidbike]

You reckon! I gotta get me some of this zen like action that must come from being in my own little impenetrable group or space on the public road. I honestly didn’t realize it was such a big deal. Looks like I am the Fred that I always had a sneaking suspicion I was.

Can anyone tell me where you get the new rule book and who its written by?

I think you may have missed the context of the tennis analogy. I was referring to a scenario where I and 4 friends were paying a trainer who was leading us through some drills. My thoughts were that a person jumping into our paceline was both dangerous and a breach of etiquitte. Kind of like when someone is paying a personal trainer at the gym it's not appropriate to jump in the middle of that session.

Generally after we wrap up with the trainer we do a cool down ride for about an hour and it's quite common for people to join us and form a pack. In that scenario it's both welcome and enjoyable.

Does that help clarify?

 

[fatsprintking]

I think you may have missed the context of the tennis analogy. I was referring to a scenario where I and 4 friends were paying a trainer who was leading us through some drills. My thoughts were that a person jumping into our paceline was both dangerous and a breach of etiquitte. Kind of like when someone is paying a personal trainer at the gym it's not appropriate to jump in the middle of that session.

Generally after we wrap up with the trainer we do a cool down ride for about an hour and it's quite common for people to join us and form a pack. In that scenario it's both welcome and enjoyable.

Does that help clarify?

Yeah I'm cool with that and had not made the connection to your previous post - Sorry.

But it is a fine line as it is easy to big up the importance of your training group and what they are doing and to create a sense of exclusivity that is about you either being "in" or "out" of the group.

Maybe I am just a little pi---d that I now seem to be in the "out" group whenever I go for a ride in the popular places.

I used to be one of the cool kids...I think...at least people used to want to ride with me.

 

[Sidbike]

Yeah I'm cool with that and had not made the connection to your previous post - Sorry.

But it is a fine line as it is easy to big up the importance of your training group and what they are doing and to create a sense of exclusivity that is about you either being "in" or "out" of the group.

Maybe I am just a little pi---d that I now seem to be in the "out" group whenever I go for a ride in the popular places.

I used to be one of the cool kids...I think...at least people used to want to ride with me.

I can relate. We've got some exclusive club situations here in Miami...some require you purchase wear their club kit and one has gone so far as to mandate their members cannot wear the club kit on non-club rides....perhaps we're in the early stages of the next secret society, ha!

 

[42x16ss]

What exactly are do you do up front man, i gotta know.

This genius decided that when the person in front of him moved across to come off the front after taking their turn, he would stay stuck to his wheel. By doing this he nearly wiped out the girl riding next to him....

 

[ElChingon]

That reminds me of a similar situation. A group of riders turned on to the street I was on, they sucked my wheel for a few clicks and eventually it was just annoying so I would slow or speed up and they were still there so they were up to it. Well up the road there was a pack of cars parked and I could see a wide gap where there were no cars parked so as I approached the last car before the gap I quickly swung over wide and hit the brakes Maverick style (Top Gun reference) and they freaked out. "Hey what are you doing!", "bla bla bla" as they broke their formation and actually hit the brakes as well. Since I hit the brakes first I was now in the rear of their pack and the guys in the front were riding as if they didn't know how to steer straight and slowed even more. I swung back to their group and hid in the back of the pack to lay some wheel suck revenge. Well they kept riding as if they lost their directional compass and started yammering about how crazy a move I had done and started to look for me. Now, when I swung over the only thing that hit them was the wind as they were now at the front. Well after another few clicks I had recovered enough to start my attack as they were not going to get back up to speed any time soon and the original guys who were forced to be at the front had drifted back in the pack. The new riders at the front looked like no threat so I knew with the right conditions they wouldn't latch on again. So I attacked from the rear as a car approached so I could use it to sweep behind me. Yes, the same guys who were originally ended up at the front tried to latch on but my 3000 lb sweeper forced them back in the pack, the car honked at them as they were almost run over (I didn't actually see it but the honking and yelling would be my verification of that). The riders at the front ended up inadvertently blocking for me and off I went. Too funny, well for me.

 

[Martin318is]

Actually hadnt thought to mention but my club has numerous training rides scheduled across the week both AM and PM anyone can come along generally. However, a couple of training rides per week are set as club kit required. This isn't to stop non-club members from joining in. The rule is that if you aren't wearing the club shirt, you are not allowed up into the front of the bunch and are not allowed to work any turns. The idea is to keep the unknown people off the front so that they dont take the other 50-60 down.

Seems sensible to me...

 

[fatsprintking]

Actually hadnt thought to mention but my club has numerous training rides scheduled across the week both AM and PM anyone can come along generally. However, a couple of training rides per week are set as club kit required. This isn't to stop non-club members from joining in. The rule is that if you aren't wearing the club shirt, you are not allowed up into the front of the bunch and are not allowed to work any turns. The idea is to keep the unknown people off the front so that they dont take the other 50-60 down.

Seems sensible to me...

Yeah I get where you are coming from, but what happens when someone does not know whats going on and tries to come through (cause they dont want to be a random wheelsucker), how is this dealt with?

I have maybe had more fights in bike races than a lot of the people riding have had bike races, so when someone tells me to "f--k off mate this is a club ride", there is a part of me that imediatelly gets my race face on cause it takes me back to being a kid getting a hard time by older riders who thought they could intimidate you into dropping out of the break and the like

I know that maybe I should grow up, but so often it is the way that things are explained that is important. If you get told with some level of patience what is going on and would you mind not interfering then I for one have no big issue, but more likley than not you are just told by someone taking it all a bit seriously to "f--k off"

 

[Martin318is]

Generally when someone adds on the back they are immediately told what the ride is about and visually its pretty clear that the kits are all at the front. Its all done in a polite way so not many issues are encountered - although some riders crack the ****s and go sprinting up the road....

 

[42x16ss]

Had someone abuse me this morning because I rode him off the wheel and wouldn't slow down to let him draft

Yep, you read that right.

 

[sponsor]

I was out this morning by myself, just doing a 1.5/2hr tempo ride around one of the more popular loops here. No less than three times I had random guys I rolled past decide to latch on to my wheel. One of them even followed me when I sprinted away from him at 55kmh + !!!!

What creative ways do you guys have for ditching those types that need to cling onto any wheel that rolls past just to hold 30kmh

Some people just don't get the drift and braking suddenly while swerving to the side to make them pass only works until you catch the person in question again

Did you say a friendly hello as you passed them?

 

[winkybiker]

Had someone abuse me this morning because I rode him off the wheel and wouldn't slow down to let him draft

Yep, you read that right.

How did they catch you to offer the abuse?

 

[winkybiker]

I really don't care if someone I pass latches onto my wheel. What does it matter?

 

[oldcrank]

Doesn't having a following rider actually improve
your aerodynamics and make you a bit faster?
A wheel-sucker could help you break your PB!

 

[42x16ss]

How did they catch you to offer the abuse?

He latched onto my wheel the moment I passed him.

 

[42x16ss]

I really don't care if someone I pass latches onto my wheel. What does it matter?

It's an irrational pet peeve of mine. I have no issue if someone tells me they're lost, have bonked, or just want company - usually I welcome it. It's when some Fred holds the wheel for 5, 10, 15 minutes straight just to get their average speed up I get stroppy.

I don't why it bothers me so much but it really grinds my gears

 

[winkybiker]

It's an irrational pet peeve of mine. I have no issue if someone tells me they're lost, have bonked, or just want company - usually I welcome it. It's when some Fred holds the wheel for 5, 10, 15 minutes straight just to get their average speed up I get stroppy.

I don't why it bothers me so much but it really grinds my gears

I'm guilty. I am often riding along, not really concentrating, slacking a bit, when someone comes past. If they're fast, I see it as a bit of a challenge to see if I can hold the wheel for a bit, especially up the hills. I won't pull through without having a chat with them though, because I don't want it to seem like a "Cat 6" race. I don't ride with a computer, so couldn't care less about my average speed. If they are truly fast, and it is all I can do to hold on, I'll back off after a minute or two and let them go.

I'll tag on the back of a small group, too, but won't get in the rotation without chatting/asking. They don't know me, or whether or not I am safe. But hey, I'll take the draft for a few minutes!

I have no problem with someone getting on my wheel. If they pull through, I'll usually say hello. You know, comment on the weather or the number of riders out etc. Sometimes I'll turn and slow a little on a rise so they come alongside and we can acknowledge each other. Only rarely will I really try to ride someone off my wheel by going harder than I otherwise would.

 

[Hugo87]

From my experience, before I wheelsuck someone I always ask if they don't mind, 100% of the time people are friendly and happy to give me (a newbie racer) a ride.

When i can't follow the rhythm, most of time people slow down and even asks if I need more pacing, but this is how Portugal works.