Etiquette when leading or following

I'm wondering about everyone's point of view about what to do when you ride with someone else. I'm thinking here of strangers, not people I'm training with.

For example, when I'm following someone, I try to keep my front wheel at least three feet behind theirs, and when they look back I try to acknowledge that I know I'm drafting, so they don't think I'm a jerk. I usually say something like, "Just following if that's ok." Sometimes I forget, or I just don't feel like it.

When I find that someone's following me I try to use hand signals more, like indicating when I'm turning off the path or have to slow down for something. I don't know if people who are following me care (or even if they notice). When I follow people I'd love it if they did this too, but it rarely happens.

What about you? What do you do when leading or following? What would you like people who are following you (or in front of you) to do?

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Permalink Reply by Tommie on October 5, 2008 at 7:01am
Here's a new thing I noticed on a group ride this morning.

People take their hand off their bars and place it (palm facing out) on the small of their back.

I gather that this means, "Hey you behind me, I'm about to go over something that is kind've bumpy and requires me to slow down."

BUT if you're going over something that is rough, bumpy, craaaazy enough to warrant slowing down you probably need to keep both hands on your handlebar. Maybe I'm crazy but when we used to bomb down Wimot Mtn. it was bumpy and we needed to use our brakes... the last thing we would think of doing is to move our hands away from the bars and BRAKES.....

I'll offer you a brief glimpse into my mind each time I saw someone do this:

"So how'd you crash?"
"Well, I took my hands off of the bar to tell someone (who should be --and probably was--paying attention) that I was about to cross over some gnarly train tracks... I wanted to keep them from crashing."
"Hrm. So you wanted to avoid someone bumping your rear wheel?"
"Yeah, and I thought it might cause a crash. I care about my fellow riders."
"Oh, so instead of rubbing wheels you lost control of your bike, rode into the dude next to you causing you to both fall over and then allow the rest of the group to plow into you?"
"Yes. "

I then had a vision of a mother using her new iPhone, while driving, to text a reminder to her child to not text and drive because you can run someone over . . . . .


Just sayin'

Love,
Old crankypants
Permalink Reply by Lee on October 5, 2008 at 11:48am
Definitely use hand signals when leading a stranger. Point out road hazards and car doors, even yelling out "door" can help. I always turn my head to look and check them out. If they pass me on the right they get a glare not a look. Just a pet peve, passing on the right.
Permalink Reply by J on October 5, 2008 at 12:16pm
Tommie, there is a many decades old tradition of road cyclists indicating hazards to other riders. While there are regional variations amongst club cyclists' hand signals, the one you are referring to does not indicate a hazard. The open palm indicates slowing. A closed fist indicates stopping. Unavoidable rough road hazards to usually verbalized. Avoidable road hazards are pointed out.

But the fact these these signals are not universally understood is one reason among many that I don't allow the riders on my team to draft or be drafted by strangers.

Just FYI, it is considered very rude and/or dangerous amongst club cyclists to *not* signal hazards to others. Experienced riders would signal well before approaching the hazard, not ride over a rough road with one hand.
Permalink Reply by vxla on October 6, 2008 at 12:06pm
I have no idea what the post was trying to say; I do not vocalize unless it's a slow ride as I do not have the breath nor can anyone hear past the wind against their ears. IF you are in a paceline, you should be looking at the riders back directly in front of you; nowhere else.
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 9, 2008 at 1:04am
If I'm riding with someone I know, who I'm used to riding with, I communicate as I normally would on a group ride, giving warnings of hazards, using hand signals, etc.

I don't like to draft off someone I don't know, because I don't know their habits and or if they are likely to make a move that will end up being hazardous to me. I'm not crazy about having a stranger draft off me for the same reason. The wrong unexpected maneuver or not enough following space could create a situation that ends up taking both of us down.

In a past situation, a too-close follower took away my one possible escape to avoid a nasty chain reaction crash. And this was after I'd warned the guy repeatedly to stay off my wheel. I don't usually wish bad things on people, but this jerk deserves to have the same thing happen to him and spend the day in the ER, time in surgery, months of hobbling around in pain, and years of lingering pain from things that don't heal well. If so, he has earned his karma.

If someone is following me, I ask them to give at least 3-4 feet of space. If they are doing something that feels really unsafe to me, I'll say go ahead and pass me. I might even stop for a minute to make sure they're far enough ahead that there's no future interference.
Permalink Reply by Gelacio on October 9, 2008 at 2:52am
I just stay away from rider I don't know. If I have to pass I just wait to take the lane and go around
Permalink Reply by Chi Tour de Cure on October 9, 2008 at 4:30am
I'm not on the pro circuit or anything, but I often end up overtaking other riders on the LFP. If I am behind someone while waiting for a safe opportunity to pass, I'll issue a calm "on your wheel" and leave it at that. If the rider or group looks ominous (ie: They're on rental bikes, or they're police [i kid!]), I'll hang back about 20 meters under the assumption that carnage is imminent.

If someone drafts off me, I'll admit it... it's go time. Sorry, that's just how I'm wired. :-) It's not hostile, it's a written clause in my sponsor contract. "Must drop LFP clingons."

I will say that you can't have any way to know whom you're drafting, so you have to assume a lot of the responsibility of your own well being, much more than you would in an orgnaized group ride. To point, last week a teammate (JB) was riding his cyclocross bike on the LFP and picked up a drafter. No problem, but they shortly encountered an obstacle in the path. Since he was on a cross bike, JB went off the path and passed the obstacle on the grass shoulder. He heard a loud, sudden crash behind him... as the drafter had followed JB's wheel right off the path... on a road bike. Sigh.
Permalink Reply by Jessica on October 9, 2008 at 9:44am
Ha...this is habit due to horseback riding. ALWAYS call to what side you're passing on (for horseback riding, this is due to fear of flying feet, and 1200 lb collisions.) and do it with speed if possible. I'm not talking break neck, but get it over with...

As far as leading/following...I don't care if someone drafts, I know I'm not going to make a stupid move. When I draft, I make sure I'm not going to eat pavement if they pull a stupid move. 3 feet sounds about right.
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on May 11, 2009 at 5:20am
I was wondering about this urban "drafting etiquette" on Friday. So happy I used the search function here instead of starting a duplicate thread!
Permalink Reply by Ali on May 11, 2009 at 3:33pm
I usually drop anybody that tries to suck my wheel unless they ask. My reasoning being that if they have the common sense and the courtesy to ask they probably have the experience to ride in a pace line. However I will make a point of picking up the pace just a tad, and to rotate the lead. For instance I pull for a minute or two and then wave them on, sooner or later they get the idea. Even then, I stay farther back, usually about a foot or two of space between them and me. But If I don't like the way they are riding(Weaving back and forth, speeding up then slowing down, or just plain unpredictable) I just pick up the pace to drop them. When riding with fiends whom I know the habits of I can overlap wheels confidently knowing that they will signal, call or both before they do anything that is out of the norm.

-Ali
Permalink Reply by joe on May 11, 2009 at 6:09pm
ehh id rather not follow anyone if im riding alone...on casual rides i really dont care whos riding behind me. i have drafted behind ppl that were training just to check out there bikes....then i pass em on my junker. haha...
Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on June 19, 2012 at 3:33am

Generally, if someone passed me by and going the same speed as me after that, then yes, I will draft off that person. However, I do keep at least one bike distance between us. It seems like it took so much effort to pass me by he/she is out of energy and just cruise after that.

This morning on the LFP, a woman passed me by and was going the same speed as I was after passing me by, so I just drafted off her. She pulled over on Fullerton and I passed her by. About a mile down, she passed me by again, and again, she wasn't going much faster. I didn't want to play leap the frog, so I just drafted.

She started slowing down to look back, and of course I went closer than 1 bike's distance and she sped up again. Finally she slowed down and told me to not draft off her and that she wasn't comfortable that I was drafting off her, rudely! So I told her either speed up or slow down, but don't just pass me by and cruise at my speed after that, and I think she was mouthing off some expletives that disappeared with the wind.

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