Etiquette of drafting strangers

Next time just launch a snot rocket.

Drafting is cheating, you shouldnt do it or let ppl do it 😆

you are way off here. slower rider needs to make the stronger rider aware of their presence for safety reasons

Why? Come on, safety reasons? Really? A guy was cycling behind him, thats it. Based on that sort of logic none of us can ever take part in cycle races or sportives or group rides? What does knowing the guy is behind him make any difference from a safety POV? Cycle properly

The OP said themselves, they were in a bod mood and wanted to be on their own. That is the numb of it. They are p1eed that another cyclist didn't just leave them on their own and so took to here to complain about it.

If you pass another cyclist there is always the possibility that they will look to draft, human nature to want to keep up. They don't need to ask your permission. Manners? What to do want them to say? "Can I please take advantage of your superior cycling prowess to enable me feeble ability to go a liitle faster?" Thats nothing more than looking for an ego boost and a thank you for the incredible generosity.

If it bother you, cycle faster or slower. The OP opted to go slower.

In terms of where you stand on this, I'd say you're in the complete minority. The only person being rude/ selfish was the guy who decided not to say hello in response and cycled off in a huff when the lad he was secretly drafting off decided to slow down.

It wasn't a race/ sportive/ group ride - that's the whole point. If someone is out on their own, maybe that's the way they want it. Maybe not, but then the polite and reasonable thing to do would be to enquire. Taking part in a race/ sportive/ group ride is an implication that you're fine with drafting.

Yes it is dangerous. Read the experience of the person above who got rear-ended.

Group rides and sportives are different, you choose to cycle with other people. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do a solo spin - the op is entitled to cycle solo if thats what they want. I dont get why some people think that the op should drag a stranger along if they are not comfortable to do so.

Drafting a solo stranger outside an event without saying anything is rude, dangerous and disconcerting. The fact that the rider never announced his presence is a big red flag and shows their inexperience. The lead rider could stop to make a call / put on or take of a gilet, etc and without knowing there was someone drafting, an accident would have occurred. On downhills, one rider may know the roads better, have more bike handling skills or be a bigger risk taker. Its also rude and disconcerting because the stranger failed to acknowledge the person when passed, but then made an effort to get on the wheel.

Yeah I'd be well annoyed if someone randomly started drafting behind me like this, it's as annoying as a car tail gating you.

It can also be annoying though when someone overtakes you and then starts to slow down. I get a lot of this cycling around Dublin, pro dressed cycling man on a fancy bike will huff and puff to overtake me, but then slows right down when he's out in front again - resulting in me having to overtake him and him wrongly assuming we're in some kind of a race.

I would have never thought of asking or needing to be asked if another bike was behind me. Maybe if he was drafting very very close up my arse I would be annoyed but it never happened. If you are cycling on the same road in the same direction then no one is entitled to demand permission. I also dont buy that you would not know he was behind I mean thats an insane lack of awareness on a road.

If you are worried about a bike behind how are you ever going to handle a cycle lane in the big cities

You can still give people plenty of space on a cycle track, nobody ever needs to be cycling up a stranger's arse.

If you're drafting you have to tell the front person and preferably ask them if it's ok.

If they need to stop they can give you a shout.

It's also completely to your own advantage. If the front guy/girl is pothole dodging or hacking up a nice green one you'd want them to know you exist.

Most common for me is on a solo is to just about catch someone and then hit a few bends or a bit of a village.

I'd always give a heads up that I'm behind and give them the offer of jumping on when I go past.

Never cycled in Richmond Park (only visited the pen ponds as a child!), but again, I assume that's the known etiquette. Rightly or wrongly, a solo cyclist up in the mountains could be switched off to anything than vehicles. Specifically drafting is a bit different from riding behind someone at the same pace for me.

tbh, I'd be saying hi just as courtesy anyway - whether drafting, coming up on someone, someone coming up on me and passing anyway, so I really don't see the big deal. Going back to the opening post, that was probably the biggest etiquette "fail" be Tim Merlier out for a spin.

Not sure if this is directed at my response or OP's. In the case it was directed at my initial response, I knew there was a cyclist behind me having passed them 30 odd seconds previously. I didn't know they'd have their head down trying to catch me and in the process, hit me when I started to coast.

That's not an isolated experience. The commute into work I've been hit by other cyclists who try to jump on for an easy ride only for me to stop at a light that has just turned red. Maybe their brakes weren't great, they never intended to stop at the light and therefore didn't expect me to or maybe they were busy trying to chase on and noticed me slowing too late. Whatever the reason, I don't really care. I've been lucky enough that it's been no more than a shunt or a shoulder into my back.

I don't understand it, you wouldn't see a car over taking you and then all of a sudden accelerate and sit on their bumper. That would be considered rude I think by most.

You have a competitive itch that needs scratching? Join a club and go on the weekend spins or better yet go race. Plenty of really decent club league races run throughout the season on a weekly basis. You've Mondello every week for the majority of the season, you've various open races etc.

If you want to sit on my back wheel say something. Otherwise, I'm happy to speed up or I'm happy to slow down and let you pass but stay off my back wheel.