Why do people draft?

I've been out with my wife twice this week and both times we've been passed more than once by blokes or groups of blokes who then sit just off the front of us until we eventually diverge routes.

I don't know what it is about being out on the bike with my wife but it seems to unfailingly attract these steely fast men of the road who have a big turn of speed when there's a woman up ahead... never happens on my own, weird that.

pblakeney said:

bobmcstuff said:

I've been out with my wife twice this week and both times we've been passed more than once by blokes or groups of blokes who then sit just off the front of us until we eventually diverge routes.

I don't know what it is about being out on the bike with my wife but it seems to unfailingly attract these steely fast men of the road who have a big turn of speed when there's a woman up ahead... never happens on my own, weird that.

Maybe they just don't want to be accused of anything improper (drafting or otherwise) by following. They have caught up, they are going faster. Unless you missed out the bit where you passed them.

Or maybe they see a woman up the road and feel the need to overtake...

Given this doesn't really happen when I am on my own or with my male friends, I know which I think it is. Normally, people either pass me or I pass them and it settles out - one group goes off up the road, etc.. When I'm with my wife, we seem to pick up blokes just ahead of us.

Today we actually had to slow down to avoid leapfrogging.

It might not even be conscious - perhaps they just see a woman in non-trendy kit and assume she must be slow.

I normally only post about bottom brackets and wheels and things and skimmed through this thread looking at the London Dynamo website just to see what the fuss was about. What a bunch of elitist nonsense their site is.