Someone's on ya wheel: are you bothered?

genki

I always believed there was a sort of wheel-suckers etiquette, or at least there should be.

For instance, you overtake someone who jumps on your wheel but is obviously not going to come round and take a turn. Under my rules, you're not allowed to ackknowledge that they're behind you by looking back, but you allowed to push that little bit harder on the pedals to try and drop them. This has to be done without appearing to be trying to acclerate to drop them. If you get to the point where you're hammering along at 25mph, and you still hear the odd noise behind you that suggests your passenger is still there, you can't now ease back because that would be admitting you'd been trying to drop them. Instead you have to maintain the pace, trying not to show signs of distress, and pray that a T-junction is coming up. At the T-junction, the rules now demand that you and the passenger can acknowledge each other's existence, and because you're now talking to each other you can cycle side-by-side at a slower pace. If the passenger really understands the rules, they can say something positive about the speed you've just been towing him at, and you're supposed to say something about it being just your normal training pace, and how you're half-way round a six-hour ride. They of course know fully well that you're lying but the rules only permit them to say something along the lines of how they're on a 30km commute to work and how they don't want to break sweat

But to turn round and make it clear that you don't want someone on your wheel is a bit too rude. If you really want to be rid of them, try to drop them, otherwise you could always wave them through. Wait until they've had a turn at the front, and they're bound to go too fast if they've just upped their pace to sit on your wheel, and then drop them the next time you hit the front.

disgruntledgoat

Bronzie wrote:

matthew h wrote:

due to having a life, it doesn't bother me

+1,0

Toks - that's testers fo ya

+2

Can't say i've ever given it a moments thought. Why not just pull alongside them and have a nice chat?

stonehouse

I'll take someones wheel to get a breather, but I usually then pass and say "my turn to pull". I even did this in Italy a few weeks back without being able to speak Italian, we shared the workload down a very long straight road into a headwind off the sea, it just worked.

I suppose the only thing that would get me nervous would be a newbie, worried that he might run into the back of me, otherwise fine, we all need a helping hand once in a while...

Rouge Penguin

Weirdly, and happily i usually pass most people going the other way (meaning this isnt usually a problem for me)

if someone does jump on, its no bother as long as they can keep up and are willing to take a turn. If not, i'll just change my route and ditch them.

freehub

dmclite wrote:

freehub wrote:

I don't like towing strangers, unless it's a gale force headwind I may allow exception. Any other time I usually just accelerate away.

Have you been drinking "Bhima-Juice" ?
Check.

Uncheck.

SteveR_100Milers

It's a free world, couldn't care less whether someone was there or not so long as they didn't cause an accident.

BigDarbs

This happened last Thursday evening:

I’ve been doing a few road races and evening time trials so I am going OK at the moment (well I feel like I am!!). I went out on the road on one of my usual training routes over my local hills.

I usually time myself from the bottom of my favourite hill to a signpost at the top, and as I was feeling OK I decided to go for a good time. Not far from the start of the climb I sensed another road rider some way behind me and decided there was no way he was catching me, especially as I was going for a personal best time to the top! As the road narrowed and got steeper I could feel he was still there and was now on my wheel.

I thought ‘I’m not having this’, so I stayed seated but put the hammer down. As I glanced under my arm I could see his front wheel 6 inches off my rear, so I stood up and went for it. As the slope started to kick up again about half way, I was out the saddle pushing really hard, and he came alongside, still seated!! I was so demoralised that I thought was going fairly well and here was a rider coming past me still seated while I am out the saddle with my eyes bleeding!

I glanced across to see a rider in full Cervelo test team kit on a Cervelo R3, and Roger Hammond smiling back at me! I said, ‘I don’t feel as bad now its you that’s caught me!’

Considering he was in the mix with Cancellara, Hushovd and beat Tom Boonen in the Paris - Roubaix, maybe I shouldn’t be so concerned that he caught me on my favourite climb!

We rode for the next few miles chatting about racing and training, then we shook hands and went our separate ways, he was a thoroughly nice guy.

My best time before yesterday was 5m:46s, and with Hammond on my wheel I did it in 5m:23s. The lesson learned is that if you want to improve your times in huge leaps, simply get a pro-tour rider on your favourite climb!

ives.

BigDarbs wrote:

This happened last Thursday evening:

I’ve been doing a few road races and evening time trials so I am going OK at the moment (well I feel like I am!!). I went out on the road on one of my usual training routes over my local hills.

I usually time myself from the bottom of my favourite hill to a signpost at the top, and as I was feeling OK I decided to go for a good time. Not far from the start of the climb I sensed another road rider some way behind me and decided there was no way he was catching me, especially as I was going for a personal best time to the top! As the road narrowed and got steeper I could feel he was still there and was now on my wheel.

I thought ‘I’m not having this’, so I stayed seated but put the hammer down. As I glanced under my arm I could see his front wheel 6 inches off my rear, so I stood up and went for it. As the slope started to kick up again about half way, I was out the saddle pushing really hard, and he came alongside, still seated!! I was so demoralised that I thought was going fairly well and here was a rider coming past me still seated while I am out the saddle with my eyes bleeding!

I glanced across to see a rider in full Cervelo test team kit on a Cervelo R3, and Roger Hammond smiling back at me! I said, ‘I don’t feel as bad now its you that’s caught me!’

Considering he was in the mix with Cancellara, Hushovd and beat Tom Boonen in the Paris - Roubaix, maybe I shouldn’t be so concerned that he caught me on my favourite climb!

We rode for the next few miles chatting about racing and training, then we shook hands and went our separate ways, he was a thoroughly nice guy.

My best time before yesterday was 5m:46s, and with Hammond on my wheel I did it in 5m:23s. The lesson learned is that if you want to improve your times in huge leaps, simply get a pro-tour rider on your favourite climb!

Great Story!!
It is unerving when you're giving it the berries and someone comes alongside looking casual on the tops and not breathing.
It happens to me quite often, but it's normally 3rd cats that do that to me....not hardened continental pros!

shockedsoshocked

BigDarbs wrote:

This happened last Thursday evening:

I’ve been doing a few road races and evening time trials so I am going OK at the moment (well I feel like I am!!). I went out on the road on one of my usual training routes over my local hills.

I usually time myself from the bottom of my favourite hill to a signpost at the top, and as I was feeling OK I decided to go for a good time. Not far from the start of the climb I sensed another road rider some way behind me and decided there was no way he was catching me, especially as I was going for a personal best time to the top! As the road narrowed and got steeper I could feel he was still there and was now on my wheel.

I thought ‘I’m not having this’, so I stayed seated but put the hammer down. As I glanced under my arm I could see his front wheel 6 inches off my rear, so I stood up and went for it. As the slope started to kick up again about half way, I was out the saddle pushing really hard, and he came alongside, still seated!! I was so demoralised that I thought was going fairly well and here was a rider coming past me still seated while I am out the saddle with my eyes bleeding!

I glanced across to see a rider in full Cervelo test team kit on a Cervelo R3, and Roger Hammond smiling back at me! I said, ‘I don’t feel as bad now its you that’s caught me!’

Considering he was in the mix with Cancellara, Hushovd and beat Tom Boonen in the Paris - Roubaix, maybe I shouldn’t be so concerned that he caught me on my favourite climb!

We rode for the next few miles chatting about racing and training, then we shook hands and went our separate ways, he was a thoroughly nice guy.

My best time before yesterday was 5m:46s, and with Hammond on my wheel I did it in 5m:23s. The lesson learned is that if you want to improve your times in huge leaps, simply get a pro-tour rider on your favourite climb!

Just wait till someone like Super Sid does that to you, and then consider he's nearly 3 times older than you

Team Banana Spokesman

if someone catches you from behind then theyre obv. quicker so they should be pulling you surely?

at the same time...... if you overtake someone youre going faster than them so you should not hang on to them and give them a tow instead.

ive been caught several times but a quick flick of the elbow and a move to the right makes them come through.

ive overtaken a few people in the city and when this happens I always tell them to get on my wheel by doing that circular hand motion chaingang signal thing. this makes it clear to them that its ok to sit on if they will share the work.

if someone overtakes me without doing this I always ask if they want to share the work by going up along side them first.

teulk

I strangley dont have this problem - the only thing i catch is the wind as they steam past me
Im very new to this road etiquette stuff, just how close do have to get to some one to signfy as "being on theIr wheel" or "getting a tow". I have to admit it wouldn't bother me if some decided to stick behind me as id be happy of the company. I sometimes just hang back behind people by about 3-4mtrs just until i establish that if i go past them their not going to come flying past me further up the road.

Thick Tester

When will you jesters learn that racing only counts with a number on yer back......
3 pages of twaddle.. you should be ashamed

Toks

BigDarbs wrote:

I glanced across to see a rider in full Cervelo test team kit on a Cervelo R3, and Roger Hammond smiling back at me! I said, ‘I don’t feel as bad now its you that’s caught me!’

We rode for the next few miles chatting about racing and training, then we shook hands and went our separate ways, he was a thoroughly nice guy.

What a great story 8) 8)
Disgruntlegoat, it was pretty much my last few miles and I was planning to slow down having well and truly beaten myself up. Pulling alongside him was not an option and he wasn't inviting me too either. At the beginning of the year after a four month layoff I sat on a strong dynamo girls wheel and apologised for not being able to take turns. She was so cool about it which is really how it should be. I mean is there really any difference between someone following you a couple of bike lengths behind and 12 inches behind? Focus on ride hard. In my experience if on that very rare occasion they touch your wheel I promise you'll be the one that's still upright and riding the bike

Toks

Thick Tester wrote:

When will you jesters learn that racing only counts with a number on yer back......
3 pages of twaddle.. you should be ashamed

well er...obviously. :roll: Essentially the thread is about cycling etiqquette. What's wrong with a discussion about that. In fact I think we should move on to the next biggest issue "who should you nod or wave to when riding?"

Anonymous

Thick Tester wrote:

When will you jesters learn that racing only counts with a number on yer back......
3 pages of twaddle.. you should be ashamed

OOhh, handbags. :P

naive

My view on this subject was slightly changed by an experience I had last week. I commute 10 miles each way everyday, all year around. I ride a road bike, wearing lycra, and on most trips, I ride quite hard--if not necessarily very fast--so I might look like a "real" roadie, but I have no experience of bunch riding except what I have seen on ITV3! I also have mudguards, carry a rucksack and wear a peaked MTB helmet, which, I understand would mark me out to those in the know as not a racer.

I was on my way home along a country A-road, "whizzing" (25-30mph) down a slight hill and approaching my left turn off. Normally, this has a very wide approach which is almost like a slip-road, so you can filter off, then brake in a straight line out of any fast-moving traffic, before turning in. However, on this occasion, a car was stationary in the entrance, making it a slightly later, sharper turn, but definitely no problem even at speed.

At a reasonable distance from the turn, I indicated left, and had a bit of a look around. I was surprised to see the guy who I had passed on an earlier hill had latched onto me and was inches from my rear wheel, obviously riding a quieter bike than I. This made me slightly nervous as we were still travelling well over 25mph and the corner was coming up , but it was still not really a problem. A few moments later, a had a final check left and behind, to make sure that the guy had moved out or back or passed in response to my signal. He was still within inches of me--possibily even overlapping--and on my left! This completely spooked me, and I felt that I could not brake where I wanted to, nor could I make my turn at the point where I wanted to make my turn. For some crazy reason, I thought that I still had it covered, and made a very late turn-and-brake for the corner. It is still possible that I may have made it round, but because of the line I had to take in the middle of the carriageway, I hit a gravel patch while I was leant over and very committed, and both tires went away. My bike and I skidded on our sides across the entire width of the--thankfully clear--road and up to the grass verge on the other side, each suffering knocks and abrasions, but no real damage.

The cyclist stopped to check up on me, and the car driver also came for a look. The cyclist had a word with the driver about where he was parked, but a concencus was reached that it was all the fault of the gravel, and no harm done anyway, and we each went on our way.

In retrospect, I could have prevented the situation developing at all if I had started to slow for the corner earlier and more gradually, and I could have avoided the accident simply by aborting the turn and gradually stopping on the main road once I decided that the following cyclist was too close for me to turn safely. Bizzarely, this second course of action did not occur to me at all at the time.

It is quite possible that the other cyclist could have easily coped if I had just ignored him and made my turn. However, he should have been aware that his road position effected my judgement.

So if you are following someone you do not know, bear in mind that he may not know you are there, and that he might feel that your positioning effects what he can do.

ives.

the other day I was doing laps around RP and I noticed a guy on my wheel.
I was going fairly hard (for me at least) but he stayed there for 5 whole laps, never coming through once.
I didn't mind too much.
I mean, it is a sort of a backhanded compliment if they can't come through and it makes you go that little bit harded with someone else on your wheel, which is all good.

Karl2010

haha funny this..

I was out about 3 weeks ago and whizzed past a commuter, i was doing 23.5mph i seem to remember.
He obviously got a weed on, and sped up and tucked in behind me. For a couple of miles.

It didnt bother me.

--

For the origianl poster.. Maybe the guy on the TT was training. If he was he wouldnt want anyone interfearing or disrupting his training which is fair enough.

amaferanga

I don't let people wheelsuck. Very different situation, but a few years ago I was touring in Uganda and some youths decided to race me. I got p!ssed off with it and braked to let them past, but one of the numtpties was right behind me and ploughed into the back of me. The result was one broken Bob Yak trailer and a cyclist (not me luckily) bleeding profusely from a deep cut in his leg. I then had to use my first aid kit to patch him up and (even though it wasn't my fault) gave him money to go to the hospital to get it stitched.

So I'm not having any old chump who could have the bike handling skills of a carrot wheelsucking me. Its not something that is an issue for me out in the beautiful and serene Peaks anyway (how I pity the London cyclists doing laps of Richmond park).

Av it

yeah laps of Richmond Park is the Cycling equivalent of the hamsters wheel booooring

shedhead

I'm a little like Naive, i commute about 150 miles a week on my fixie or Zerofour depending on the weather & ride pretty hard most of the time & there's not many times i've had people fly past me (although i may be slow & they're just a bit slower) & i do wear "roadie" gear. Last week i was nailing it down a straight & saw a guy in roadie gear in the distance & was catching him up fairly quickly (he'd got the full monty on but wasn't going quick or fairly quick, there may have been a reason i know), however by the time i'd caught him i wasn't far off the end of my ride & was warming down when he looks round looking quite peeved & was pointing at the road with his right index finger, i don't do group riding, what does this mean?

Bhima

Never had anyone catch me up and have overtaken many people who fail to stay on the back due to massive gaps in fitness. They're usually out of sight after 200m.

As said above, if someone caught me, i'd expect them to do the initial pull, as they would the faster rider, but if they are there because i've overtaken them, I don't mind as long as there is good communication.

disgruntledgoat

Bhima wrote:

Never had anyone catch me up and have overtaken many people who fail to stay on the back due to massive gaps in fitness. They're usually out of sight after 200m.
.

I love this guy.

amaferanga

Bhima wrote:

Never had anyone catch me up and have overtaken many people who fail to stay on the back due to massive gaps in fitness. They're usually out of sight after 200m.

As said above, if someone caught me, i'd expect them to do the initial pull, as they would the faster rider, but if they are there because i've overtaken them, I don't mind as long as there is good communication.

That must mean that either Bhima has sh!t eyesight or all these cyclists must turn off just after he's passed them, thus explaining why he passed them in the first place if they're slowing down to turn.

ScaldedCat

would I be bothered?

...no but I'd be surprised..

..not many people can ride that slowly without developing a terminal wobble.

:oops: :P

Hibbs

amaferanga wrote:

I don't let people wheelsuck. Very different situation, but a few years ago I was touring in Uganda and some youths decided to race me. I got p!ssed off with it and braked to let them past, but one of the numtpties was right behind me and ploughed into the back of me. The result was one broken Bob Yak trailer and a cyclist (not me luckily) bleeding profusely from a deep cut in his leg. I then had to use my first aid kit to patch him up and (even though it wasn't my fault) gave him money to go to the hospital to get it stitched.

So I'm not having any old chump who could have the bike handling skills of a carrot wheelsucking me. Its not something that is an issue for me out in the beautiful and serene Peaks anyway (how I pity the London cyclists doing laps of Richmond park).

Do you not think coasting and turning round to gesticulate they should come past would have been better than slamming on the anchors?

Toks

Hibbs wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

I don't let people wheelsuck. Very different situation, but a few years ago I was touring in Uganda and some youths decided to race me. I got p!ssed off with it and braked to let them past, but one of the numtpties was right behind me and ploughed into the back of me. The result was one broken Bob Yak trailer and a cyclist (not me luckily) bleeding profusely from a deep cut in his leg. I then had to use my first aid kit to patch him up and (even though it wasn't my fault) gave him money to go to the hospital to get it stitched.

So I'm not having any old chump who could have the bike handling skills of a carrot wheelsucking me. Its not something that is an issue for me out in the beautiful and serene Peaks anyway (how I pity the London cyclists doing laps of Richmond park).

Do you not think coasting and turning round to gesticulate they should come past would have been better than slamming on the anchors?

Thats exactly what I thought. Nice work :roll:

softlad

Toks wrote:

At the end of 10 laps around regents park today a guy on a TT bike blasted by and I hopped on his back wheel. Immediately he swung aggressively to the far right (clearly not wanting me on his wheel).

you've answered your own question - testers don't like being drafted....

freehub

softlad wrote:

Toks wrote:

At the end of 10 laps around regents park today a guy on a TT bike blasted by and I hopped on his back wheel. Immediately he swung aggressively to the far right (clearly not wanting me on his wheel).

you've answered your own question - testers don't like being drafted....

Sounds more like he was a tw@t

mrc1

freehub wrote:

softlad wrote:

Toks wrote:

At the end of 10 laps around regents park today a guy on a TT bike blasted by and I hopped on his back wheel. Immediately he swung aggressively to the far right (clearly not wanting me on his wheel).

you've answered your own question - testers don't like being drafted....

Sounds more like he was a tw@t

I think I have also encountered him! Cervelo with aero wheels?

I was going slightly faster than him so I passed him a couple of times while i as at the park (he seemed to be doing 1 fast lap one followed by a rest period). Each time I passed him while he was on a fast lap he would sit on my wheel for a spell then I would gradually drop him until i passed him again and he repeated the same trick etc etc.

After I had done about 15 laps I eased off as i was bored and knackered and dropped my speed a bit. He passed me but was only going a bit faster so i upped my speed and caught up with him. About 5 seconds later he started shaking his head, started swinging side to side and when i passed him he said something but i ignored it and laughed.

He's probably gutted that he has spent 5k on a Cervelo with aero wheels and he still cant keep pace with me riding on the hoods!