Draft Dodging

Drafting on a bicycle is a good way to save your energy on longer rides. To draft someone, you follow them closely. This makes riding easier because the person in front of you cuts through the air and reduces the wind resistance you face. Drafting can be very convenient. Bike racing teams use it, much like birds do when they fly in formation. Drafting has also led to some interesting encounters out on the trails.  

You generally follow closer when drafting. Just make sure
you let someone know and ask permission.

I was pedaling north along the Neuse River trail one day. It was hot and sunny. As I picked up speed on one of the long, straight stretches, I happened to glance to the side and was shocked to see a second shadow right behind me. And he was close. I twisted around to confirm that it was indeed another rider. I decided to pull away, so I increased my speed. But he stayed with me. I kept trying to pedal harder, but every time I checked my shadow, he was still there. We kept going for several miles until we got to 401. He turned off on the suspension bridge and I kept going. He was wearing nice biking clothes and had a good bike, so I don’t think there was anything untoward going on. But I have to admit to being a little relieved when he finally went the other way.

In an interesting side note, I mentioned this experience on Facebook and got some memorable comments. They all boiled down to stopping and letting someone like that go on by. I think if I encounter Captain Creepazoid again, that’s what I’m going to do.  

Another time I was heading back home after taking a break at the end of the trail near Horseshoe Park. In an interesting bit of irony, I was coming back across the suspension bridge there at 401 (the same place where Captain Creepazoid finally left me) and turned out in front of two riders on good road bikes. I picked up speed quickly and led them for a little over two miles at almost 18 miles an hour. The difference was, as they caught up to me, one of them announced their presence. “Do you mind if we draft you for a few minutes?” I said, “no problem.” They announced it when they finally passed me and offered to let me draft them, but I had to decline. I couldn’t keep up. It occurred to me that day that the key to drafting, like passing and many other encounters, is communication. I soon received another lesson that hammered home that point.

I reached the southern end of the trail in Clayton one day and stopped for a break. It’s the perfect spot to catch your breath and cool off. Other riders had the same idea and several individuals and pairs came and went while I was there. On the way back I began catching up to and passing some of the riders who left before me. As a courtesy, I announced myself as I’m coming by. I came up behind a woman on a bike just as we were getting close to a series of bridges. I decided to pull up and wait to pass her because bridges are not ideal for passing. There’s enough room, but if anything happens, you can’t veer out of the way. She was going slower, so I downshifted. The click and clang of the gear shifting wasn’t loud, but it made her jump and she whipped her head around and I saw fear in her expression. I called out, “I’ll pass you, but I don’t want to do it on these bridges.”   She looked relieved, but wary. “Okay.” She flashed me a look again as I went by, and I thought of Captain Creepazoid.

Her frightened look has reminded me to announce myself not only when I’m passing, but whenever I come up behind someone. That’s a good rule of thumb for all your encounters on the trails. There have been letters to the editor in the local paper recently complaining about bikers who race by on the trails. One thing that's obvious from the letters is that many of these bikers don't announce themselves when they pass. With all this in mind, here are a couple of golden rules of the trail: 

• Announce yourself when you're passing someone. That way they know to stay out of the way. And you never know; the person in front of you may be about to turn around. That could cause a bad accident.
• Ask permission if you want to draft. I was behind a couple on bikes the other day when the woman saw me and asked two times if I wanted to pass. I was making up my mind and eventually passed them, but she sounded a little irritated.