What do people think about wheelsuckers?

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Comments

  • Alex99
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    iPete wrote:
    Tactics? It's not a race..

    My point is, group riding is a core part of road cycling. And yes, tactics come into non-competitive events too. Just depends what you're aiming to acheive. People may be aiming to ride further or faster than they could on their own and have the buzz or riding in a quick moving group. If people want to ride on their own, that's acheived easily enough. Ride a time trial, or just don't enter sportifs.
  • mamba80
    mamba80 Posts: 5,032
    Many years ago, i was doing a series of 20min TH intervals, i pushed hard in the last minute and then sat up, there was a screech of brakes and the sound of alloy and flesh hitting the deck, luckily the guy went into the hedge rather than the road but he was totally mad at me, swearing and shouting and accusing me of not being able to ride etc etc

    i pointed out that i had no idea he was there and i was training on my own and it was entirely his fault... this seemed to make him even madder, so i rode off.
  • Pituophis
    Pituophis Posts: 1,025
    We got behind a guy pulling away from the lights last night. "Bike behind pal" I said in a friendly tone.
    "Oh!" said he and sped up for about 20 yards before slowing to his own pace again. As we were turning right almost immediately after, we didn't take a turn on the front.
    After reading this, I bet he thought were were a right pair of selfish ****s.
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Alex99 wrote:
    iPete wrote:
    Tactics? It's not a race..

    My point is, group riding is a core part of road cycling. And yes, tactics come into non-competitive events too. Just depends what you're aiming to acheive. People may be aiming to ride further or faster than they could on their own and have the buzz or riding in a quick moving group. If people want to ride on their own, that's acheived easily enough. Ride a time trial, or just don't enter sportifs.

    I get it but I don't get literally wheelsucking for an entire day. Each to their own.
  • Alex99
    Alex99 Posts: 1,407
    iPete wrote:
    Alex99 wrote:
    iPete wrote:
    Tactics? It's not a race..

    My point is, group riding is a core part of road cycling. And yes, tactics come into non-competitive events too. Just depends what you're aiming to acheive. People may be aiming to ride further or faster than they could on their own and have the buzz or riding in a quick moving group. If people want to ride on their own, that's acheived easily enough. Ride a time trial, or just don't enter sportifs.

    I get it but I don't get literally wheelsucking for an entire day. Each to their own.

    Yeah, OK, that is a bit odd.
  • bompington
    bompington Posts: 7,674
    Alex99 wrote:
    iPete wrote:
    Alex99 wrote:
    iPete wrote:
    Tactics? It's not a race..

    My point is, group riding is a core part of road cycling. And yes, tactics come into non-competitive events too. Just depends what you're aiming to acheive. People may be aiming to ride further or faster than they could on their own and have the buzz or riding in a quick moving group. If people want to ride on their own, that's acheived easily enough. Ride a time trial, or just don't enter sportifs.

    I get it but I don't get literally wheelsucking for an entire day. Each to their own.

    Yeah, OK, that is a bit odd.
    Really? Imagine that you're an inexperienced, unfit rider. I know that's hard for some of you, but think about it: you've entered a Big Event, you're apprehensive about whether you can handle it, but at the same time hoping that you can put in a good time and feel proud of yourself. You discover (or have already worked out) that you can keep up with a bunch at a far faster pace than you can ride alone, so you stick in there, delighting in cruising along effortlessly at over 20mph. If you do ever find yourself on the front, you get an unpleasant reality check as you slow down by 5 mph or more, followed by grumpy looking riders all streaming past you. So you stay sitting in.

    I am a very occasional sportif (a single ride each year - Etape Cal for a few years, then 3 pistes more recently), and every time I have set off with the avowed intention of wheelsucking as much as I can. Then when it comes to it, I find that either there just isn't anyone around going at the pace I want, or else I find myself doing too much of the work on the flat (I'm quite chunky and built for going head down into the wind) and then, when the road goes at all uphill, I get dropped like a brick. In the 3 pistes (especially last year when the field was quite small thanks to all the no-shows who'd seen the weather forecast), I've been amazed at how long you can ride for in a sportive completely solo.
  • lancew
    lancew Posts: 680
    I think that in the case of Sportive's wheelsucking is fair game as you're all in it together, just take a turn.

    Wasn't the point here:

    a) the wierd non talker
    b) the exploder who saves their energy to hit strava segments
    Specialized Allez Sport 2013
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,068
    iPete wrote:
    Tactics? It's not a race..

    Everything is a race :twisted:
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • lancew
    lancew Posts: 680
    itboffin wrote:
    iPete wrote:
    Tactics? It's not a race..

    Everything is a race :twisted:

    It's only a race when I'm winning.
    Specialized Allez Sport 2013
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Somewhere on a Pro riders forurm there's guys complaining about that Kittel dude that doesn't do a TAP until the last 400 meters. Frikking Wheelsucker.
  • prhymeate
    prhymeate Posts: 795
    They don't bother me unless it's very busy and getting dangerous. That said, I had my first ever accusation of wheelsucking earlier. I didn't really think it counted going at an average to good pace with a 5-6 meter gap and a tailwind but he seemed pretty angry when he asked if I was going to do some work. :|
  • CoalTheCat
    CoalTheCat Posts: 91
    Subscribing - this is a great thread for a newbie.
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    CoalTheCat wrote:
    Subscribing - this is a great thread for a newbie.


    Wheelsucking is our rite
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • CoalTheCat
    CoalTheCat Posts: 91
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    CoalTheCat wrote:
    Subscribing - this is a great thread for a newbie.


    Wheelsucking is our rite

    Oh god, don't want to be seen to be wheelsucking this thread.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Prhymeate wrote:
    They don't bother me unless it's very busy and getting dangerous. That said, I had my first ever accusation of wheelsucking earlier. I didn't really think it counted going at an average to good pace with a 5-6 meter gap and a tailwind but he seemed pretty angry when he asked if I was going to do some work. :|

    6 meters off his wheel? You should have come past and dropped his whining ass...
  • prhymeate
    prhymeate Posts: 795
    cougie wrote:
    Prhymeate wrote:
    They don't bother me unless it's very busy and getting dangerous. That said, I had my first ever accusation of wheelsucking earlier. I didn't really think it counted going at an average to good pace with a 5-6 meter gap and a tailwind but he seemed pretty angry when he asked if I was going to do some work. :|

    6 meters off his wheel? You should have come past and dropped his whining ass...

    ha, I said I wasn't close as I passed and he said something like I must still have some advantage. I went on the front and genuinely just kept the pace but turned around and he was way back. Gave me a thumbs up at the traffic lights but I'm not sure if that was sarcastic or not. Anyway, that aside it was the nicest evening ride of the year so far. Summer finally feels like it's around the corner! :D
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,068
    Tonight coming home I spied one of the local club riders ahead, not my club mind so I sped up to him but about 25 ft away and then made a point of riding the white line so well outside any potential draft.

    Then I binned him like a fucking pro panniers and all, local rivalry is strong in this un
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    I think they are people who aren't as fast as me.
  • sloppyschleckonds
    sloppyschleckonds Posts: 8,019
    dennisn wrote:
    I think they are people who aren't as fast as me.

    Not everyone can afford EPO
    I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    SloppySchleckonds wrote:
    dennisn wrote:
    I think they are people who aren't as fast as me.

    Not everyone can afford EPO
    Trust me, at 67 fast is not an option and wheelsuckers are pretty much non-existant.
  • webboo
    webboo Posts: 6,087
    Not long after setting off today 2 guys came past with one of them on the front. When the second guy noticed me sitting,he shot to the front only for his mate to sprint past him. They pulled up not long after, would it have been remiss of me whilst sitting on to give them some tips on how to ride through and off.
  • philbar72
    philbar72 Posts: 2,229
    Webboo wrote:
    Not long after setting off today 2 guys came past with one of them on the front. When the second guy noticed me sitting,he shot to the front only for his mate to sprint past him. They pulled up not long after, would it have been remiss of me whilst sitting on to give them some tips on how to ride through and off.

    far from it. sounds like they need to learn!

    I don't understand the fear factor with wheelsuckers. I'm nowhere near as fit as I was, and I can if needs be get rid of them, but as long as they are well behaved, I don't give them stick.
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    philbar72 wrote:
    Webboo wrote:
    Not long after setting off today 2 guys came past with one of them on the front. When the second guy noticed me sitting,he shot to the front only for his mate to sprint past him. They pulled up not long after, would it have been remiss of me whilst sitting on to give them some tips on how to ride through and off.

    far from it. sounds like they need to learn!

    I don't understand the fear factor with wheelsuckers. I'm nowhere near as fit as I was, and I can if needs be get rid of them, but as long as they are well behaved, I don't give them stick.

    In the sticks I would agree. In Town when you can hear they are on the ragged edge it is an unnecessary risk.

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