I’m new to road riding, have riden In a small group of 4 once otherwise I ride alone. Been riding a road bike since September.

So I was tootling along on the flat today, riding by myself, doing around 20mph. Another dude joined the road a bit behind me from a slip road and pulled up behind me very close. I looked round and said Hi and he didn’t say anything back.

After maybe a mile of this, sat inches from my back wheel he pulled out and started to overtake. A teensy pissed off at his rudeness I accelerated too. He shouted “what the f*** are you doing?” So I smiled and did my best Cav impression and pushed to the junction about a mile and a half away. We did a bit of elbow to elbow and he eventually dropped back then turned at the junction when I went straight on.

So what did I do wrong? Is it normal in road riding for a stranger to drop behind you for a ‘lift’ for a mile. I know it was a bit stubborn to accelerate when he came past but he had been rude too IMO.

I beat him so that’s all that really matters right?

I think that may be the point, unless you know you’re going to win the sprint don’t go for it!

troll?

Was he not overtaking to take his turn on the front?

He might have been looking to take his turn at the front and return the favour of the tow and you decided to race him….

Double post

He should have asked if you minded him sitting on for a while. But yes, maybe he was going to take his turn on the front.

I’m new to road riding

Yes, yes you are.

When you become less new you will appreciate that riding behind someone is not an offer of sex, or an attempt to be rude, it’s a way of sharing the pace making and allows two riders to go a bit quicker than a single rider.

Accelerating when he comes round to do his turn is not the thing to do, if you really don’t want him on your wheel, you can slow down and let him go or speed up and leave him behind.

Next time try saying ‘Hello, been far?’, or flicking your right elbow to indicate that it’s his turn on the front.

Scott – absolutely not a troll. A new roady. I don’t know what I was meant to do. I thought it was rude that he sat 3 inches from my wheel without saying anything but I don’t know if this is the norm? I know it was a. Bit of a stubborn thing to do to accelerate but I thought he had been quite provocative in the way he had ridden.

I don’t know what I was meant to do

Try being friendly!

Try having a chat with him, make a new friend.

So that’s what I’m asking Crikey… This is normal and I should expect it?

that’s great.

I did! I looked round and smiled and said Hi! He didn’t say anything although he heard me.

should have let him pass if he continued to accelerate of drop peddleand shw him who’s boss if he pulls back in accecpt the tow as a reward for your good turn.

And the last line of my original post is tongue in cheek.

So that’s what I’m asking Crikey… This is normal and I should expect it?

Pretty much, although he should have responded.

You’ll learn very quickly about how to approach other folk, and sometimes people are quiet or shy or non-communicative at first. No harm in gently sitting up and having a chat, or in a wave to send him past you.

…you’ll meet quite a few characters too.

It’s irritating when someone sits on your wheel and enjoying the draft you’re giving them but doesn’t want to even acknowledge you.

Somewhere on a roadie forum there is a post that goes something like:

Out today, really hit a wall, then caught up with another rider. Thought I’d catch my breath before taking my turn on the front. In fact I was so shattered when the guy turned round to say ‘hi’ I couldn’t even reply!
Then, once I’d recovered (after a mile or so) I tried to move to the front he started a full on elbow to elbow sprint!

No offence OP. Just couldn’t help it 😉

Never met a knob roadie (on the road) in all my life, certainly nothing like that. I read about stuff like this all the time, never had it happen.
I’d say I get on with every stranger/roadie I meet on the road, but I never let my agenda slip.
Also if someone wants my wheel I’ll take it as a compliment that they feel safe there.

I like it Normal Man.

Maybe he didn’t want a chat. It’s not a crime. Maybe he was working hard, training to a specific goal, and wanted to focus. Roadie etiquette – you can share the work with a stranger without having to swap phone numbers. Your unpredictable change of pace as he drew alongside you would have come across to him as a bit childish, possibly dangerous.

There are some proper arsey roadies, what does it take to say hello?

I hate being passed without a hello, especially when I’m in a world of my own, I usually sit their wheel and push them until they are breathing out of their arse pass them and say hello

I hate being passed without a hello, especially when I’m in a world of my own, I usually sit their wheel and push them until they are breathing out of their arse pass them and say hello

Well this is obviously complete BS

Did he wave

Is it really?

He could have acknowledged you, but yeah share the work and take a tow for a while to recover for your next effort.

You don’t have to race everywhere…

Just best to let them pass, let them think they’re better than you. After all you set out to ride alone so do so.
Though thinking about it ‘etiquette’ isn’t a set of rules with roadies it’s more of a ‘sense’
Chasing someone is the biggest sign of a bellend, like wheel spinning your car in the supermarket car park. So much so that when a nice young polite guy passed me Saturday then upon hitting a headwind he rose from the saddle which made him slow. I was catching up with him without trying praying he would turn off to avoid the embarrassment of passing him, he did thankfully.
Tough old world. I’d say just keep it in your pants.

It is. And I’ll tell you why. Why would you go out on a road ride and just plod along, other than to wait for a slower rider to pass you so you can purposefully make them suffer?
So, if that IS what you do – you’re not a liar but an extremely sad person.
However, as there is no other reasonable explanation for riding at far below your maximum output for sustained periods of time, I am not sure what the answer could be.
I’ve had people come past me a handful of times in 10000 miles of riding on the road. I have however passed (both on the same and opposite side of the carriageway) probably several thousands of riders. It just does not happen often if you are riding with intent. The most recent occurrence was towards the end of a rather long jaunt and I was mentally preparing myself for what sugary delights I was going to devour when I walked through the door, when a rider whipped past me at speed, WITHOUT SAYING HELLO!!!!! So, did I chase him down to teach him a lesson? No. I carried on, accepted as a fact of life, and continued on at my own pace.
My point? I have never been overtaken in a situation where I am in a position to chase them down because that situation does not exist! At least, not on my rides.

That is all.

And you call me sad?

Funny thing is now when I’m out training and someone comes the other way and I [can’t] acknowledge their nod/lifted finger/slight movement of the arm I think of STW and have a mental giggle. Not a stupid laugh, in my head I mean.

more than likely sat behind to get some recovery ,may have been at the end of a long hard training ride .once recovered enough decided to take the front and give you a tow. as most road’ys in my experience would do.

Thank you all. I posted originally to a) understand what the bloke was doing and b) what to do next time. I get it now. Still think he should have acknowledged me and explained what he was planning to do.

Still think he should have acknowledged me and explained what he was planning to do.

It’s all nuance’s, like I said.

3 inches off your wheel is poor should be more like 3mm.

Why did you race ahead odd behaviour you should have taken his wheel and saved dine energy.

If you read my posts dragon you will see his is the first time this has happened to me. I have been mtbing for a decade, in my experience people stop and chat, share trail info, give way if you’re coming downhill etc and I am courteous to other bikers and walkers.

So i was surprised and a bit indignant when a fellow biker arrived very close behind me, ignored me when I tried to make contact and then just pulled out. So I thought I’d show him. I understand now that’s not the right thing to do. This thread has been useful. Dont just post saying it was odd behaviour.

Old git – I get it. I understand the common sense thing. I suppose the more I ride the road bike the more I will understand.

It’s true that the oddest thing in this whole situation is for the front rider to accelerate and prevent the rider behind overtaking. Everything else is fairly normal.

It’s irritating when someone sits on your wheel and enjoying the draft you’re giving them but doesn’t want to even acknowledge you

Who cares? There’s no race going on during a solo ride. You would have been out for a ride by yourself had the other guy not shown up and he didn’t inconvenience you at all by riding behind you.

Not all roadies are sociable creatures at the best of times but most likely scenario is he was too bloomin’ knackered to say hello and wanted the tiniest hand in getting home for a few miles and when he’d recovered enough to actually return the favour some plonker decided to keep him in the middle of the road and start some pointless race.

give way if you’re coming downhill etc and I am courteous to other bikers and walkers.

Do they? my experience is up has right of way. restarting on a down is often far easier than restarting on an up

I have never been overtaken in a situation where I am in a position to chase them down because that situation does not exist!

Wow, real life pro riders on STW.