tandem drafting etiquette - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

08-09-2004, 10:00 AM

My husband and I have been riding the tandem almost every
Sunday now for the last three years, and have finally got in
good enough shape that not only do our friends draft us
but it is increasingly common for strangers to hop on the
wheel, and not only on downhills anymore. So, what,
exactly, are we (or more likely, I the stoker) supposed to
be doing in regard to our fellow cyclists? My husband points
out any road hazards. But how do signal we are slowing or
stopping? And how do you signal turning without whacking
the guy on your wheel? I do wear a mirror (and yes it does
look dorky, but I'm already on a softride tandem, so what
the heck) and I do sit up, and take my hands off the handle
bars when we start to slow down. But often that leads to
me elbowing the drafter as he attempts to pass on the right.
(I swear my elbows don't extend past the end of the handle
bars, but they tend to be a bit close at that point.) Are
there signals that don't have you extending your arm that
they can see on the right or the left? And what exactly are
they? Is it okay to turn around and tell them we are going
to be turning at the next light? (These are folks that hopped
on without saying anything, so I'm not sure if they appreciate
verbal directions. Actually, I think they are hoping we haven't
noticed them there.)

I want to make clear we don't mind folks hanging on, I just
don't want to hurt them. Just last week we were hauling
on our last two miles into to coffee, in a slightly uphill stretch
my husband likes to go all out on. At the beginning we were
passed by two guys that looked like they were sprinting for
who pays for coffee, leaving their third friend in the dust.
Just as their third friend caught up to us we got in the grove
and started hauling, he grabbed our wheel. As we surged
past his friend with him on our wheel he gave them the
biggest grin, and they groaned and caught up. My husband,
who often rides this on his carbon fiber bike without me
said he hit a personal best on this stretch that day, and
they all thanked us for the pull.