I don’t mind giving a tow if it’s announced and I like to know for how long.
I wouldn’t want to tow someone around on a a planned 3 hour solo ride and be responsible for pointing out every pothole.
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Lapped riders in crits that hop on when the lead group rolls by. Can’t stand it!!
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Please don’t do this…yes, it is rude and inconsiderate for people to latch on and not say anything, but it isn’t worth risking their health or equipment over. You can still show proper ride etiquette.
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Brutal!
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This is such a good point…I lamented once on the old VeloNews board that there was a woman I saw regularly on my lunch time ride. I always waved and never got any response in return…not a nod, wave or anything.
It was pointed out to me (by a female member of the board) that she was quite possibly wary about responding in anyway as it could be seen (by overly-aggressive men) as an invitation to come ride with them, hit on them, etc.
It had never occurred to me…was very thankful I was able to get a female perspective.
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Fair, and it was said in jest (I can’t bunny hop a road bike well), but it does highlight the issue, not only is it rude and inconsiderate, but dangerous for the Klingon if the lead ride doesn’t know you are there and does something like that, thinking only of themselves (because they don’t know you are there)
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100% agreed!
For whatever reason, I get my rear wheel higher than my front when I bunnyhop on my road bike…can make for some pucker moments occasionally!
They can have a rest by stopping or slowing down, not by making a stranger responsible for it without asking.
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The rider who latches on without asking should not ride so close that they cannot take avoiding action if the solo rider suddenly brakes or needs to swerve. The following rider should maintain sufficient space that they can see all hazards for themselves in a timely manner.
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It’s legal though so, for me it’s hard to get too upset. The break needs to make the call if they want to lap or not. The officials need to make the call who to pull…Dropping off the back of the pack to help the break stay away is not legal fwiw. Seems to always be confusion with the two…
As for what makes me angry cycling it’s my constant and somewhat unhealthy inability to just put the fork down. I over eat. I blame myself but, getting older combined with my career lifestyle make it’s sort of a challenge to stay cycling lean/light.
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In most cases, the rider in the back goes to the deck in a collision - so scrape my wheel if you want, I’ll call out the obvious obstacles, but I don’t know if you’re on the ball or not, so if you fail, it’s on you.
- Cyclists who listen to music on the road (either in headphones or on a speaker) so loud that they can’t hear me calling out behind them.
- Racers who yell at people for non-safety related stuff they do in the middle of the race. Like “hold your line” when they don’t even really know what a line should look like and are taking bad lines themselves. (Just keep your mouth shut!)
- Cars that don’t give space when there’s plenty of space to give.
- Cars that speed around me to slow and turn right in front of me.
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Not true. This might be true in racing, but it’s not true in the real world where pedestrians exist, along with traffic laws.
Example: Years ago I was being followed (unknowingly) by a cyclist when I happened upon a stop sign and hit my brakes … he ran into the back of me at full speed and I suffered a dislocated elbow, along with other associated cuts and bruises.
This one never bothers me. If it’s not affecting my ride, I just start pointing things out to them like it’s a group ride.
If they come around me to take a pull and I don’t want that (say I’m riding steady easy Z2 and want to keep it there), I just back off and let them go. If I have an interval coming up, good on them if they can hold the wheel!
I think it used to bother me, but it seems to happen for a little bit on all of my long rides here, so I’ve gotten used to it.
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Look, I’m not defending people latching on without announcing themsleves…I’m only saying that no one should do things that purposely put other riders in a dangerous situation.
if you know someone is on your wheel, invited or not, point out hazards.
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This has been happening long before e-bikes. Fortunately where I am people on the paths are cool about moving over to give room to pass.
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I came here to say people that drive slow in the left lane, but a botched Ramp Test is definitely worse!
This. We have a non-drop group ride for students round here, so naturally there are always a bunch of young, testosterone driven, strong riders. They often turn this otherwise chill ride, which is a great place to socialize and learn the group ride etiquette, into a smash fest. It annoys the hell out of me. I can’t stand their arrogant comments as well, especially on female riders. And their behavior messes up my training as well, I want to use this for base miles.
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Yeah, this happens here on a popular bike path… all… the… time. And given that it’s a tourist destination to boot, it’s usually people on unpowered beach cruisers riding three abreast who are completely oblivious to others on the bike path and cause congestion. On the weekends, it gets so bad that most roadies and triathletes forgo this particular 15km bike path and just ride on the wide shoulder of the adjacent highway.