That’s a nice thought, but you’ll burn a lot of matches in life trying to convince every jackass to be a reasonable human being. Not saying we shouldn’t all try, but sometimes it’s good to pick your battles. Dysfunctional humans are kind of like the weather, sometimes it’s better to be happy with the rain instead of getting in a debate with the sky.
Our gravel roads are very steep and long here and usually around 4-6 mph. It’s been rare I’ve had strangers draft me on training rides over the years, but in those cases I’m all about people hopping on board! If they can keep up and we can ride as comrades, all the better. I wouldn’t draft on a stranger in a training ride, however.
I’m usually pretty vocal during rides and races, usually out of excitement and enthusiasm. However, if someone is a prick, I’m plenty vocal about that, too.
No he’s not. There are at least a few different legal protections available to the leading rider, and subsequent liabilities to the drafting rider. If you were hiking up a hill and someone was determined to stay walking 6 inches behind you and when you asked them to stop they started screaming about how it wasn’t against the law, that would be just as bizarre. And just as wrong.
This wasn’t a race with agreements and considerations between riders. It was a stranger creating what is commonly seen to be an unsafe situation - following too closely. Just because these conflicts do not usually rise to the level of requiring intervention does not mean the behavior is allowed.
In my state a stranger drafting another rider unwillingly or unknowingly has the same legal precariousness as following to closely in any other vehicle. If a collision occurs and is documented the drafting rider is liable for damage and/or injury.
I’ve seen this, due to a collision that occurred during a Critical Mass ride with a rider who was not and did not want to be part of the ride. The at-fault rider’s car insurance paid but without he would have been personally liable.
Again, it’s hard to determine tone from a message board post but it sounds like you took this incident personal and I’m only hearing one side of the story. You came asking for advice and my advice is to approach this with curiosity and a smile versus frustration and a feeling that some random person disrespected you. Starting the conversation with the other rider when your temper may be even slightly elevated is never going to get you to the result you want. It’s only going to pour gasoline on a fire.
I hope this helps.
Someone runs into you and causes an accident with damage or injury, that’s one thing. Beyond that I’m not aware of a single law or ordinance in this scenario that legislates space off road on trails like you’d get on the road.
Again, I didn’t say it was right so don’t get bent out of shape and all righteous and entitled about it - I think that’s often the problem. Know when to pull over and just let someone go.
I’m not sure this is off-road, being a “fire road” which means different things in different regions. It would depend on the state, in Georgia following to closely is a primary offense and is applicable wherever vehicles are regularly operated by the public - including WMA and NF roads. This interaction could also rise to harassment.
People are not allowed to go around doing whatever they want. There are rules and regulations around most behaviors that could occur between two or more people, even if they are often not enforced. Although the concept of “personal space” is not strictly defined legally, it does exist, and extends to a person riding a bicycle. There was a man who used a bicycle to harass women on the bikepaths in and around Atlanta. He would do similar to what was described in the original post and was repeatedly arrested for harassment.
You’re way, way extending here. Drafting is a common and accepted occurrence on bikes on and off-road. To even remotely imply harassment and personal space in a scenario like this because you don’t like someone drafting you or riding your wheel on an uphill climb - again, don’t get all entitled and just let the guy go.
Again, it goes both ways - people can’t do whatever they want and make up their own rules about people getting close to them either. The guy behind may be a dick, but getting fired up about personal space doesn’t help things (OP - not referring to you here) You can ask, if he gets worked up about it, then ride away from him or just let him go.
Now, Cause an accident? Sure - you’re at fault, and if the leading rider pulled over and then the guy got in his face and pressed it further, that’s a different story too.
Drafting strangers may be a common occurrence but it is not accepted by most riders and is considered rude. Drafting is not harassment, drafting after being asked to stop, is. I don’t know what your argument is here. Drafting after being told to stop is not allowed in either the legal nor the cultural sense.
Is this also not what was described in the original post? He pulled over, the other rider had an animated outburst and then would not “let him ride away”.
But I pulled aside and asked him to please not do that. I didn’t want to think about him back there. I have no idea what kind of a rider he is and I don’t want to worry about him smashing into my derailleur if I need or want to stop or slow down. He immediately became, shall we say, “animated”. “I’ll do whatever I want!!! This is a public trail!!!”. I asked him to calm down and please give me some space and he insisted it was his right to draft me. “Tell me one law against it!”. I said I wasn’t talking about laws I was asking him to consider exercising some courtesy. He then decided to come up beside me and crowd me from the left side while saying “You should be faster than me anyway you’re on a gravel bike”.
?
No - reads to me they started riding again and were still riding - described as him eventually peeling away down another trail by the OP, that’s not something that happens when you’re stopped. But regardless - I don’t see anything there breaking the law being stopped.
Yes, the guy was being a dick. Unfortunately we can’t legislate against that. Take a deep breath, Let the guy draft, drop him, or pull over and let him go would all be better options than making an issue of it.
I’ve made my point so will stop here - it’s a 2 way street, do your best to not get offended and de-escalate and life will be a lot easier.
The drafting rider was offended, escalated, and go what he wanted out of the interaction.
“The best defense is a good offense”
Something to think about for next time.
I would say it’s bad etiquette to jump on someone’s wheel like that without announcing you’re there or asking if the person minds. How to handle it is a different matter.
Ok - one more. On the road, if I’m riding alone I’ll personally head for potholes and then bunny hop them or narrowly miss them, and I’m not beyond giving someone a brake check or doing a lot of slow down / speed up if I want them off my wheel. But I’m also fine needling someone and letting it get under their skin while I just smile back at them with a S**t eating grin - that drives people crazy.
But, I’m not recommending that - Do as I say, not as I do 
Irrespective of any laws, it’s just very rude to continue riding that close to someone you don’t know when you’ve been asked to stop.
Think the best way to handle is is just to stop yourself for a bit, have a bite to eat or check your phone and wait until the other rider is gone.
I didn’t say anything about having a temper. I pulled to the side and asked the rider to not draft me. Not really sure how you arrived at the conclusion that I started with a temper. Although tbh I don’t think it really matters what attitude a person takes here, the unwanted drafter should probably give a person some space. I agree though, if you start with a shitty attitude you’re increasing the chances of a shitty interaction.
Funnily enough, after announcing his right to sit on my wheel whenever he feels like it, he then chose to focus on crowding me from the side and chirping at me as well as pulling close in front of me to put me in HIS wheel. I had to brake and swerve around him a couple of times and just pulled across and out of his draft again. And again. Don’t really see the point in all of this posturing obviously but that wasn’t really what the post was about. I was just sort of surprised and startled by someone so adamantly entitled to ride in the 5 feet behind my seat post on a wide and otherwise empty fire road. It imposes risk on both of us and I’m having a hard time understanding why it’s his right to impose that risk upon me despite my request for space.
You seem determined to read this as me having some sort of attitude problem about it and I suppose there’s nothing much I can do about that though I have tried. As you say, tone is hard to read in print sometimes.
As I cough and hack a good big one to my right side I ask the guy behind me if he knows anything about Covid . My friend has it and I wonder how long it takes to show symptoms.
Follow me at your own risk.
Some people just have anger issues, and will explode at being told they should not or must not do something. You see it with some car drivers, and in your case a fellow cyclist. When you encounter them, it is usually best to remain calm, not get into an argument (it will be fruitless), and wait for them to get bored and leave. Easier said than done, and I am sure we have all got into an escalating argument at times.
Man, the world would be a better place if more people could follow this advice. Unfortunately, there is a good part of the population that seeks and thrives off confrontation and negativity. They just can’t help themselves, so why not throw some love back at them instead of fueling their dysfunction?
There are times to stick up for your rights (legal or just common sense), but picking that fight for every little thing sounds exhausting. Someone following too close on a trail falls into the “weird, but whatever” category for me. If I felt it was dangerous, I’d get away from the person (pull away, stop, etc., it’s not complicated). I can’t imagine letting something like that alter my mood, but we all have our unique triggers.
Mate. You’ve been far too accomodating and kind to even give it this much thought / communicate an explicit request to him. That’s not about riding, it’s about human-ing.
The guy was being f-wit.
The instant rise is aggression/entitlement you mentioned could also be cultural in some countries.
Don’t know exactly how and what you said to him, but sometimes people are triggered by explicit, assertive requests, especially if they are done calmly and respectfully to them.
I would have made sure to pass him going a bit quicker than him and as necessary would have upped the pace into an impromptu VO2 max interval to put some clear distance between me and him. Just because i get into my own peaceful headspace when i’m riding and in 99% of cases i’ll get no pleasure from any interactions with strangers/drivers/dog walkers/ random people being dicks. One idiot can ruin my day. I try not to get too close to them.