A
Abandon: when a rider quits during a race.
Anaerobic: exercise above the intensity at which the body’s need for oxygen can be met, can only be sustained briefly, also known as oxygen debt.
Apex: the sharpest part of a turn.
Attack: an aggressive, high-speed jump away from other riders.

B
Blow up: to suddenly be unable to continue at the required pace due to overexertion.
Bonk: a state of severe exhaustion caused by the depletion of muscle glycogen – sometimes occurs if a rider has failed to eat or drink enough.
Bonus sprints: on each stage, several intermediate point are designated along the route where points are given to the first three riders that cross the line.
Bottom bracket: the axle to which the crankset is bolted.
Boxed in: a rider unable to move with riders all around him.
Break, breakaway: a rider or group of riders that has escaped the pack.
Bridge, bridge a gap: to catch a rider or group that has opened a lead.
Bunch: the main cluster of riders in a race. Also group, pack, field or peloton.
Bunny hop: a way to jump over obstacles in which both wheels leave the ground.

C
Cadence: the number of pedal revolutions per minute.
Caravan: the line of promotional vehicles handing out samples preceding the race.
Cassette: the set of gear cogs on the rear hub, also called a freewheel or block.
Chainring: a sprocket on the crankset, short version is ring.
Chamois: the soft, absorbent and padded liner in the crotch of cycling shorts, now synthetic, once made of real chamois leather.
Cleat: a metal or plastic fitting on the sole of a cycling shoe that engages the pedal.
Clincher: a conventional tyre with a separate inner tube.
Cobblestone: a naturally rounded paving stone. Also pave.
Cog: a sprocket on the rear wheel’s cassette.
Convoy: the string of team cars following the lead bunch.

D
Derailleur: the mechanism that moves the bicycle chain from one gear sprocket to another.
Devil: German nutter Didi Senft, a fan, dresses up as a devil every year, grabs his pitchfork and dances as the peleton passes.
Disk wheel: a solid spokeless wheel for time trials, gives aerodynamic advantage.
DN F: short for ‘Did Not Finish.’
Domestique: a team rider who sacrifices his own result to help a designated team-mate. Duties include supplying refreshments to teammates, giving up his bike to another rider and chasing breakaway riders, French for servant.
Downshift: to shift to a lower gear, ie a larger cog or smaller chainring.
Drafting: riding closely behind another rider to take advantage of the windbreak (slipstream) and use 20-30 percent less energy. Also called sitting in or wheelsucking.
Drop, dropped: when a rider falls back off a group and is left behind.
Drops: the lower part of a down-turned handlebar on a road bike.

E
Echelon: a form of paceline in which cyclists ride in a diagonal line to get maximum draft effect in a crosswind.

F
Feed zone: a designated area on a race course where riders can be handed food and drinks.
Field: the main group of riders in a race.
Flame rouge: the red pennant hanging over the road at one kilometre to the finish.
Flyer: a surprise attack by a single rider.
Force the pace: the rider in front increases the speed making the group go faster.

G
Gap: the difference in time between individuals and/or groups of riders.
GC : general classification: the overall standings in a stage race.
Glutes: the gluteal muscles of the buttocks – the key to pedalling power.
Grand Tour: a three-week major cycling stage race eg Tour de France, Giro d’Italia
(Italy) and Vuelta a España (Spain).
gruppetto: group of riders at the rear of the race formed during mountain stages usually by heavier sprinters to reach the finishing line within time to avoid elimination.

H
Hammer: to ride very hard.
Hamstrings: the muscle on the back of the thigh.
Hanging in: barely maintaining contact at the back of the pack.
Headset: the bearings at the top and bottom of the frame’s head tube, into which the handlebar stem and fork are fitted.

I
Interval training: a structured method of training including brief, hard efforts with short periods of rest.

J
Jump: a quick, hard acceleration, see ‘attack’.

K
Kick: a burst of speed in an attempt to break away or beat another rider or riders.
KOM : king of the mountains, award for the best climber.

L
Lanterne rouge: the rider with the dubious honour of being in last place overall.
Lead-out: end-of-stage tactic in a sprint finish in which a line of riders accelerate to maximum speed for the benefit of the chosen sprinter in tow, who then leaves the draft and sprints past at even greater speed to the line.

M
Mechanical: slang for a mechanical problem with the bicycle.
Minuteman: in a time trial, riders start on one-minute intervals; the minuteman rider is one place in front in the starting order.
Motor pace: to ride behind a motorcycle or another vehicle that breaks the wind – used for training.
Musette: cotton bags handed out at feed zones.

N
Neutral support: assistance, new wheel or bike given to a rider by the yellow Mavic car or motorbike.

O
Off the back: describes one or more riders who have failed to keep pace with the main group.
Off the front: a rider taking part in a breakaway.

P
Paceline: a group formation in which each rider takes a turn breaking the wind at the front before pulling off, dropping to the rear position, riding the draft until at the front again.
Palmares: the top racing achievements of a rider
Patron: literally, the boss of the peloton (eg Merckx, Hinault, Armstrong).
Peak: a relatively short period of time when a rider’s best performance is achieved.
Peloton: the main group of riders in a race.
Podium girl: attractive ladies who award the day’s jersey and kiss the winners.
Popped: blown, had it, knackered, legs gone weak, dramatic loss of power.
Prime: time bonus, sprint or KOM point – pronounced ‘preem’.
Prologue: short time trial-style race before Tour starts.
Pull: pull through: take a turn at the front.

Q
Quadriceps: the front of thigh muscle.

R
Rainbow jersey: the multi-coloured striped jersey worn by the defending world champion.
Road rash: skin abrasion resulting in scabbing.
Rouleur: a rider who can ride strongly over rolling terrain all day.

S
Saddle sores: boils in the crotch area from chafing caused by pedalling. These have
caused riders to lose the Tour.
Sit in or sit on a wheel: to ride in someone’s draft.
Slingshot: to ride up behind another rider in his draft, and use momentum to sprint past.
Slipstream: the pocket of calmer air behind a moving rider. Also called the draft.
Soft-pedal: to rotate the pedals without actually applying power.
Soigneur: masseur and general gopher helping riders get food, drinks, etc.
Souplesse: a quality of highly conditioned leg muscles allowing high cadence, smoothness and power.
Spin: to pedal at high cadence.
Switchback: a turn sharper than 90 degrees found mainly on long mountain passes.

T
Take a flyer: to suddenly sprint away from a group.
Team leader: designated rider for whom the team rides in order for the leader to win the stage or entire race.
Technical: descriptive of a portion of road that tests a rider’s handling skills.
Tempo: fast riding at optimum cadence.
Throw the bike: a technique used in sprints where a rider thrusts his bike ahead to get the wheel a few extra centimetres forward.
Time cut: each stage all riders must finish within a certain percentage of the winner’s time to remain in the race, or they’re disqualified.
Time trial (TT ): a race against the clock in which individual riders start at set intervals and may not draft.
Tops: the part of the handlebar between stem and brake levers.
Tubular: a lightweight sew-up tyre with the tube inside the casing.

U
UCI : Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body of bicycle racing.

V
Velo: French for ‘bike’.

W
Wheelsucker: a rider who drafts behind others but doesn’t make a turn.
Wind-chill: wind makes the actual temperature seem colder – riders descend
mountain passes with newspapers down their shirts to protect their chests.