Conference noted::bicycle

    doesn't a drafting car actually help the front car?.  I always thought
    that's how they pulled the front without burning up. 

    Me,
    
    I usually just tuck in - often they don't know you're there.  If I get
    enough strength back I'll come level with them after a while and have a
    chat - If they're surly I'll just let them head off but more often
    than not we'll get chatting.
    
    Now my question is - if a Timetrial or a Roadrace comes past (and you
    are not competing) is it good manners to let them go past in silence 
    or should you jump them?

I usually cannot resist a back wheel and jump on unless it is obviously too 
fast for an O.C.  When I have got my breath back, I also start whistling 
something patriotic like "Roule Britannia" just to prove how fit I am - that 
really gets them going!  Sometimes you have to be careful though, they often 
wind it up so much that you can no longer stay there, so you have to pretend 
you had an emergency phone call to make and stop in a box or even get a 
sudden craving to go in the nearest Bank to get some cash.....

PS if I was in a race and some-one got on my wheel, I'd put my pump in his 
spokes......

    
    
    In one of our local confined TTs, there was a rider who abused
    everything so much that he was eventually banned from riding them. He
    would never pay and owed a fair amount and was generally disrespectful
    to riders of lesser ability. Now our confined TTs were used by the
    local clubs as ways of introducing new members to racing so this was
    finally not tolerated...
    
    And now to the point. When he was finally told of his lifetime ban, he
    hung around the start and waited for one of the better riders to start.
    As soon has he started, our 'undesirable' jamp on his wheel and stayed
    there for the entire 10 mile course. As a result the innocent rider was
    disqualified from the event for towing him.
    
    Now, I'm not quite sure what happened at the end of the race, but the
    'undesirable' didn't ride his bike for a couple of weeks complaining of
    a stabbing pain in his groin and multiple bruises all over his body and
    face....
    
    Graham.

    Trouble is Robin, in Bonnie Scotland it's difficult to tell when
    you've been passed by a race. t'other Sunday a bunch of about 10
    came past me at a good pace, some wearing club stickers, but without
    numbers. I got back on and sat behind for about a mile, was just
    beginning to wonder why they seemed so untalkative when I saw a
    marshal directing them at an approacing junction and it clicked.
    

         If the woman was single and you are single then there is no 
    problem with sitting on her wheel.  But if she went by you at 24
    mph good luck holding her wheel!!
         You probaly do slow down the person that you draft on due to
    your body disturbing that person's slip stream.
    
    

    The drafter helps lowers the draftee's wind resistance but by less
    tha 3% and then only if the drafter gets with 1.5" or 3.75cm of
    the draftee's rear wheel.
    
    Aren't you relieved to see such a concordance of response?
    
    There's hope, though.  According to legend this is how
    Davis Phinney met Connie Carpenter. :-)
    
    ed

    
    
    I think that there is also I massive psycholgical brake put in place by
    having someone sucking your wheel. You feel that your ability is
    getting tested and you become very concious of not wanting to be
    perceived to be weakening. Sit on someone's wheel for 5 miles and see
    how often they look behind you worriedly...
    
    Graham.

    Being of advanced age, I get to play a few games like take a hard pull
    or something then when the punk comes alongside and says "USCF?" I
    lie (only a little) and say "Gr-r-r-rand Mahstahs, Sonny.  And you?"
    
    Well, it worked once.  :-)
    
    ed

    Thanks for all the replies.  I was curious about the drafting
    experiences of other riders because of two rides I've had recently. 
    Usually, like one of you, I try to catch my breath and then pull along
    side for a chat if I can.  On these occaisons the riders were really
    hammering and it was all I could do to stay on the wheel.  I'm a skinny
    ex-marathon runner who is not very strong but can spin pretty good and
    suck a fair wheel.  I just can't resist when I see these guys with the
    hairy knuckles and smooth legs go by.  Well, in these cases I got away
    with a free tow for a few miles before they realized I was there.  In
    both cases once I was noticed the gorilla slowed significantly, then
    swerved violently to one side, upshifted, stood up and rocketed away as
    if shot out of a cannon.  I can take a hint so that's why I was
    wondering if my being there on the wheel was actually causing them more
    work.  Now I'm pretty sure it's more of an image thing.  I'm sure no
    self respecting CAT III with shaved legs would want to be seen by his
    peers towing a skinny, hairy-legged, CAT V Master/Vet wannabe on a 17
    year old Motobecane around town :-)
    
    This past weekend I caught the best draft of the year behind two
    friendly tandems.  We cruised for 5 miles at 32 mph.  It was much
    easier drafting these guys at this speed than a solo rider at 24 mph.
    Great fun.                         
    
    Don

I would never get on someone's wheel without them knowing it. From a safety
perspective, if the person in front has to brake hard, and they don't know that
someone is behind them, they'll just brake and get smashed from behind. From a
politeness perspective, it just seems improper to tuck up to someone who was
out by themselves, without saying anything.
						-- Tom

?

You mean if you knew you had some-one behind, you'd crash into something 
rather than brake hard?  What a noble fellow......

                         ;>)

    Personnaly, I don't like w.s.'s.  If I liked freeloaders
    I'd offer my brother-in-law a job, fercryenoutloud.
    
    I've seen just enough strangers that didn't know how to draft
    that I don't want to ask for a resume before letting someone
    else sit in.  Of course, I've gotten slow enough that only
    the really hopeless cases would bother.  :-)
    
    ed

Personally, when I was single, I rather enjoyed someone
wheel-sucking, especially if it was young and female...

>In both cases once I was noticed the gorilla slowed significantly, then swerved
>violently to one side, upshifted, stood up and rocketed away as if shot out of a
>cannon.

sounds like you just met up with a couple of jerks with something to prove.
makes 'em feel good if they can drop someone on a 17 year old motobecane who
works for a living.  big deal.

for the reasons tom stated i also announce my presence but have never had anyone
object.

     I enjoy using riders up ahead as a training game - catch 'em and still
    have something left to try and pass and stay out in front. I go after
    'em even if they're recreational types. Stealthily (word?) sneaking up
    on 'em, attaching a bungi cord to the seat rail and slowly roll back
    far enough so that if they take a quick look over the shoulder it'll
    look like I'm off the back enough not to be drafting.
    
     Then relax! When a big hill shows up... blow their doors in :-)
    
     Seriously, I wouldn't think of doing it unannounced. In fact, parallel
    ride for a bit for intro's and ask if they'd like to work a ways. If
    not, I'm on my merry way. I have had w/s' hook on. Another training
    game -- Work like hell to drop 'em. They deserve it!
    
     Chip

    Several years ago in a Charity century around Tucson AZ I was riding
    along when I heard "On your wheel" from behind.  I looked back and it
    was Lon Haldemann (he was the celebrity rider, the year after he won
    the RAMM).  I am not very fast but he just stayed there and so mile
    after mile he said nothing else.  I was worried that I would somehow
    make a mistake and cause him to crash (headline...."Inept rider ruins
    career of bicycling hero").  I think he was doing his part in just
    mixing with the local, poorly conditioned riders.  Anyway ever since
    then when I wheel suck (which is often) I announce "On your wheel!"
    just like a pro....It makes me feel sooo cool, now if they would just
    slow the pace a little I could stay with them for a few minutes....
    
    Mike