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@dancing james
I tend to look rather than listen for what is coming up behind me. Listening to music I tend to look back once every 4 or 8 beats if the road is busy or there are many side roads where new road users may be joining and then coming up behind. As such I tend to be aware of potential undertakers and can often close them off at the pass.
It can be fun to just keep on gently pushing the pace and watching the cat 4 commuter racer slowly run out of breath and form. Once they start to wobble then put in the extra burst to leave them behind.
If they have over taken keep on their tail, and smile at them if they look backwards looking pained. You can observe their strained breathing and mashing at the pedals. Generally a low cadence/big gear rider will not have much left in their cardio system for an extra push (they are letting their legs not the heart do the work).
Occasionally someone else will pull these tricks on me, its great to be humbled and reminded that there are many stronger riders out there. Though generally I find serious cyclists are not using their commute to race, just to get base miles in.