hangers-on (grrrrrrrrr)

[on the road]

I normally don't like anyone trying to draft me but on charity rides or other mass rides I make an exception, I will try to get on someones wheel and it's for them to try to lose me while someone might try to get on to my wheel and it's for me to try and lose them, makes it more fun. But that tends to be the thinking of most cyclists on these rides so it's possible that that might have been the thinking of those cyclists.

 

[on the road]

This reminds me of a ride I done the other week. On the way home after a long ride and turning on to the main road I notice a cyclist behind me, when I stopped at the traffic lights it gave him a chance to catch up and he almost did only for me to take a wrong turn and then to take a detour to find a tree

That gave him chance to get a long way ahead of me but I caught up and overtook him, then I heard him changing gears and speeding up and then sat on my wheel, I was doing 25mph then so I slow down to 16mph, he's still there, 14mph and he's still there, 13mph and he still there, 12mph, still there, 11mph, still there, Ok let's try 10mph, he's still there

But he eventually got the message and decided that 10mph was to slow for him, I was about to slow down even further to see what he done.

 

[on the road]

if you want someone to take a turn at the front, just move out into the middle of the road, flick your elbow and let them come up on the inside, then tuck in behind them.

I actually did do that but he refused to budge. I think he's been watching the TDF

 

[marzjennings]

I don't mind being drafted, they have zero impact on my egress and I feel there's a small compliment to me that someone else wants to see if they can keep up. As a big guy (6'4", 16 stone) I get a lot of people drafting me, friends and strangers. Every now and then I'll test a rider who's drafting me, see if they can still hang if I roll it up to 30mph and hold it there for a few mins.

 

[HLaB]

This reminds me of a ride I done the other week. On the way home after a long ride and turning on to the main road I notice a cyclist behind me, when I stopped at the traffic lights it gave him a chance to catch up and he almost did only for me to take a wrong turn and then to take a detour to find a tree

That gave him chance to get a long way ahead of me but I caught up and overtook him, then I heard him changing gears and speeding up and then sat on my wheel, I was doing 25mph then so I slow down to 16mph, he's still there, 14mph and he's still there, 13mph and he still there, 12mph, still there, 11mph, still there, Ok let's try 10mph, he's still there

But he eventually got the message and decided that 10mph was to slow for him, I was about to slow down even further to see what he done.

LOL, that reminds me of a sportive I was doing, I don't know if the chap had been behind me long or had just closed the gap on the long climb up the Moorfoot hills. I almost instantly changed up and accelerated for the long descent, thats when I heard 'Oh Bugger'. I'm not the fastest downhill but amazingly nobody overtook and when I looked behind, they was nbody there

 

[Christopher]

Had a wheelsucker this morning. Totally ignored my greeting and then sat right on my wheel. I thought: right, game on you leech. Rode as hard as I could for a half mile and turned around to see no-one there - although it is more likely he turned off at a junction. I was about to sit up and even stop to make him do some work.

 

[amaferanga]

99.9%? Really? You know this how?

I read it on the internet. If you disagree then please enlighten me as to just how much you would benefit from having someone sat on your wheel. How many Watts would you save by having someone sat on your wheel compared to the Watts saved by the person sat on your wheel at say 20mph?

 

[colly]

Doesn't bother me at all if someone is behind me. If they haven't the legs to get past or even if they are just freeloading it costs me nothing.

What does irritate is if someone zooms past and a few yards on runs out of steam and slows right down so I have to go past to maintain pace. Only for exactly the same thing to happen again.

If they come round and keep the pace up that's great though.

In fact last Sunday I was out to the west of Harrogate and pushing up a long steep hill and a bloke came round like I was standing still.
'Good for him' I thought 'Good climber' 50 yds on he was out of the saddle wrestling his bike trying to turn gear far to big. I twiddle past and saying nothing but 100 yds later he had found the small gears and came round again grunting and puffing like a train. Still twiddling, I passed him just near the top as even the small gears became to much for him..

I though better of saying something about pacing yourself.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Pull your shorts down to show some major arse crack (probably only work man v man) and see how long they want to follow that for...

make some immitation fart sounds as well - might think you're going to cack on them

 

[al-fresco]

First rule of Italian riding "What's behind you doesn't matter!"

 

[DrSquirrel]

Is a hanger-on like a cling-on?


Maybe time to wax between the gaps

 

[4F]

Eat hills for breakfast yet get caught on the flats ? Sounds like you need to mtfu with some interval sprint training.

I don't find it an issue and would engage chat with them rather than stew over it

 

[Jezston]

As an aside as I don't have much experience of this, but is drafting not a bit dangerous? I'm not sure I'd be happy with someone inches behind me as if I have to brake suddenly he's going to smack right into the back of me
... or if I go over ...

 

[mickle]

I read it on the internet. If you disagree then please enlighten me as to just how much you would benefit from having someone sat on your wheel. How many Watts would you save by having someone sat on your wheel compared to the Watts saved by the person sat on your wheel at say 20mph?

I merely claimed that there was an advantage for the rider being drafted - which is a true fact.

You said the advantage was insignificant and claimed a figure of 99.9% - Which is clearly bogus.

Convention dictates that it's your job to provide the evidence for your assersion - or withdraw it.

 

[Red Light]

Is a hanger-on like a cling-on?

You will die for that P'tak!