I hope this doesn’t turn into a 200-post flame war. I’m not intending to start a thread about what a safe following distance is, jumping into groups uninvited with a tri bike, COVID-related concerns, etc.
My question is about how long it is appropriate/expected for each individual to “pull” for when you fall into an impromptu “group” on a ride.
I was on a short 25mi solo ride this morning on the MUP and was surprised by another rider drafting right behind me. I am not bothered by this at all; it was actually kind of a proud moment for me as a new rider
Anyways, I’m not sure how long he was there, but maybe a few miles after I noticed him, I transitioned from the drops to the hoods for a change in hand position, and he passed and moved over to take the position in front of me.
This was the first time I’ve drafted behind someone and WOW what a difference it made. After a few minutes I felt like I was rested and the level of effort that usually sustains like 18mph had me at 22mph. Really incredible how much easier it makes maintaining speed.... I had no idea. And I was hanging out about a bike length away from him.
So anyways, after a few min I was feeling pretty rested and only had another few miles left in the ride, and honestly I wanted to get more of a workout in. So I ended up passing the guy, assuming he would fall in behind me for the remainder of my ride, and I was going to wave him a thanks as I departed the MUP. But a couple min after I passed him, I noticed he had backed off and was out of sight (I saw him pass by again from the parking lot as I was loading my car).
Thus leading to my question: how long (time/distance) is it normal for each person to pull in this situation? Is the person behind supposed to pull ahead when rested, or wait until the person in front backs off and pulls to the side/behind you? Are there any hand signals indicating a desire to switch positions? Does the answer change if we are talking about a small/medium size group vs just 2 solo guys?
I feel like the guy maybe thought I was a dick, which was not my intention.