The Language of Cycling
Attack
A sudden attempt to get away from another rider.
Blocking
When a rider tries to get in the way of other riders, usually part of a
team strategy to slow down the main field when other team members are
ahead in a breakaway.
Bonk
Known as “hitting the wall” in marathon running, this is when a rider completely runs out of energy.
Breakaway
A small group of riders that has ridden out in front of the main group.
Bridge the Gap
When a rider or group of riders is attempting to reach a group that is farther ahead.
Chasers
Riders who are attempting to “bridge the gap” to catch the lead group.
Criterium
A multi-lap event of medium total distance, usually 25-75 miles, which
takes place on a course that is generally a mile or less in length.
Derailleur
The mechanism that moves the chain from one gear to another.
Directeur Sportif
Pronounced “direc-toor sport-eef,” this is the manager of the team.
Domestique
A rider who sacrifices any individual honors to the team leader who is in contention to win.
Drafting
Following closely behind another rider, to exploit a slipstream, or air
pocket. The lead rider expends up to 30 percent more energy than the
rider who follows due to wind resistance.
Drop
To leave another rider or riders behind by attacking. Losing contact
with the group in which the cyclist is currently riding will drop
fatigued riders.
Echelon
A line of riders taking orderly turns at the lead and staggering
themselves so that each rider will get maximum protection from the
wind. Also called a “paceline.”
Feeding
At some point during a long road race it is necessary for riders to
replace expended energy. Riders are given a “musette,” a small cloth
bag that contains food and water bottles. Riders grab the bag from the
team support personnel, remove the contents, and put them in the
pockets of their jerseys to eat when most convenient. They generally
prefer high-energy foods that break down quickly.
Field
The main group of riders, also known as the “pack,” “peloton,” or “bunch.”
Field Sprint
The final sprint between a group of riders, not necessarily for first place.
Force the Pace
When one rider goes harder than the pack to increase the tempo.
Gap
The distance between individuals or groups.
Hammering
Steady, strenuous pedaling. Also called “jamming”.
Hanging On
Barely keeping contact at the back of the pack.
Hook
When one rider, either on purpose or by accident, uses his/her rear
wheel to hit the front wheel of the rider behind him/her.
Individual Time Trial (ITT or TT)
An individual race against the clock, often called the “race of truth.”
TTs are usually conducted over a specified distance (versus a specified
time), with cyclists beginning about one to two minutes apart.
Jump
A sudden acceleration, often at the start of the sprint.
Kick
The final burst of speed in a sprint.
Lead Out
An international and often sacrificial move where one rider begins a
sprint to give a head start to another rider (usually a teammate) on
his rear wheel, who then comes around at an even faster speed to take
the lead.
Neo-Pro
Cycling’s term for a rookie at the professional level.
Pace Line (or Paceline)
See “echelon”.
Pack
See “field”.
Peloton
See “field”.
Prime
Pronounced “preem”. A race-within-a-race where riders sprint for prizes
on a designated lap or at a certain point in a race, i.e., the
“sponsor” Teamwork Challenge.
Pull
To take a turn at the front and break the wind for the other riders in the pack.
Pull Off
To move to one side so that another rider can take a turn at the front.
Pull Through
Move to the front of a paceline from the second spot after the lead riders swings off the front.
Sitting In
When one rider refuses to take a pull and break the wind for the group
in which he/she is riding. A derogatory term is “wheel sucker”.
Slipstream
The pocket of air created by a moving rider, just as in automobile or motorcycle racing. See “drafting”.
Soigneur
Pronounced “swan-yer”. Comparable to a trainer in other sports, this
person gives massages and works with the team doctors to monitor the
physical health of the riders.
Sprint
A sudden burst of speed for the finish of a race involving more than
one rider. Also a 1000-meter event on a bicycle track called a
“velodrome”.
Stage Race
A series of individual races — time trials, road races, circuit races,
or criteriums — grouped into one event that lasts several days. The
rider who has the lowest accumulated time for all stages is the winner.
The most famous stage race in the world is the Tour de France, which
spans about 2,500 miles in 21 or 22 days.
Take a Flyer
When one rider goes off the front of the pack, usually alone.
Team Time Trial (TTT)
Like the ITT, but with a group of cyclists rather than individuals.
Teammates work together by rotating through the lead position and
resting in the draft of the other riders.
Under 23 (U23)
A category of competitive cycling for riders aged 19–22. Also known as “espoir”.
Velodrome
An oval banked track, usually 333.33 meters in length. In general,
track riders and road riders compete in separate kinds of events. The
difference in training and ability is similar to the difference between
sprinters and long-distance runners.
Wheel Sucker
A derogatory term that refers to a rider who always sits in and never expends any energy by taking a pull at the front.
Road Race Overview
Road racing is exactly what the name implies — racing on paved roadways, but there are several events, such as time trial, criterium and road races, which can be highly specialized in nature.
Endurance
is a main factor in road racing — distances of 100 miles or more for
men, and 50 miles or more for women are common, and topography varies
from hilly (favoring the lean, lightweight climber) to flat (where the
bigger, powerful sprinters tend to excel). Road races tend to be
struggles between these two types of racers, with the endurance
specialists forcing the pace at the front of the pack and the sprinters
waiting for the moment when a short burst of blinding speed will make
the difference between victory and defeat.
Often, strong,
aggressive riders will “attack” the group in an attempt to “break
away,” or escape on their own. This is a gamble, as a group can ride
faster with less effort than a solo breakaway. Riders in a group can
take turns “pulling” at the front and “drafting” in the pack’s
slipstream in a long, wheel-to-wheel group called a “paceline.” Because
of the stamina required, drafting, or riding closely behind a rider to
decrease wind resistance, is very important. A drafting racer can save
as much as 25 percent of the effort expended by a lone rider. A
sprinter who has been conserving his energy by drafting in the pack can
use his speed to jump ahead at the finish line.
A breakaway
with a number of riders forming their own paceline has a better chance
of success, particularly if it contains several riders from a single
team. Watch for riders wearing the same jersey — they’ll take turns
setting the pace and resting in the draft. Riders from other teams,
meanwhile, may “sit in,” refusing to take a turn at the front, or take
a slower, shorter pull than the others, either trying to slow the
break, hoping their own teammates will catch it, or conserving energy
for the final burst toward the finish line.
Watch the front
of the main pack. If its leaders wear the same jersey as the breakaway
leaders, they are “blocking,” or trying to keep the pack’s pace at a
tempo that is slower than the break, but fast enough to discourage new
break-aways. If its leaders are wearing another team’s colors, however,
a full-blown “chase” may be developing.
In longer road
races, a spectator may see a lull in the action and think that the
riders are not racing. In races where cyclists are expected to be in
the saddle for three, four or five hours, unspoken truces give the
competitors a respite to eat and drink, take off jackets and leg
warmers as temperatures rise or answer the call of nature. They’re
conserving energy for the next attack, the next chase, efforts that in
a strong group can push the pace in an instant from a sedate 25 mph to
35 mph and beyond. A rider who does not save something for those
heart-pounding moments will not last long.
Finally, if the
breakaway is caught and the pack reforms with the finish line
approaching, the various teams will maneuver to set up their sprinters,
positioning them behind powerful riders who’ll provide a “leadout” — a
gradual acceleration to top speed over the last couple of miles — that
slingshots the sprinters toward the line at speeds in excess of 45 mph.
There
is only one winner in every race, but even in top-level competition a
champion needs a strong team. Nearly all criteriums and road races
involve a degree of teamwork and tactics. There are primarily three
types of races conducted on
the road: road races, criteriums and time trials.
Circuit or Road Races
Road races are mass start events which take place on public roads. They
can be point-to-point races or long loops of five to 25 miles in
length. Multiple events, held over several days, are known as stage
races.
During
a road race, team members work together to gain an advantage over other
riders, usually designating one person as the leader for the day based
on terrain, fitness and the competition. The leader’s teammates will
help in any way possible, from carrying food and water, to letting him
or her rest in their draft, to giving up a wheel — or a whole bike — if
the leader has mechanical problems.
In a relatively short
amateur race, which can last two to three hours, racers usually carry
their own food and drink. They fill jersey pockets with bananas or food
bars and bottles with water or an energy drink that supplies
carbohydrates for fuel and electrolytes to replace those lost through
perspiration. In longer pro-amateur races, which can last four hours or
more, riders may have food and water distributed to them as they roll
through designated “feed zones” on the side of the road.
The
level of mechanical support a rider can receive also varies from race
to race. In a small local road race, racers may be advised to carry
their own spare tires and pumps. Larger races may provide “follow
vehicles,” aboard which riders may load spare wheels. This support
usually is provided on a “wheels in, wheels out” basis — if the riders
have placed wheels in the van, they can take one if they flat; no
wheel, no deal. If the vehicle is designated as “neutral support,” the
wheels it carries are available to any rider who flats. Finally, in a
major stage race, trade-team vehicles and neutral support companies
form a caravan that follows the competitors with everything from spare
wheels to complete bikes.
Criteriums
The most common form of American racing, the criterium, is a multi-lap
race of 25 to 60 miles held on a closed course generally a mile or less
in length. These races, which usually last one to two hours, are
extremely fast — 30 mph and up — as the cyclists jockey for position
and sprint for lap “primes” (cash or merchandise prizes, pronounced
“preems”). The short closed course, generally with both right- and
left-hand corners, makes this type of racing easy to watch for
spectators and more accessible for the media.
In
criteriums, it’s “go” from the gun as the strong riders force the pace
and the weaker ones struggle to hang on. Quick acceleration and
bike-handling ability are paramount — a successful criterium rider will
be able to dive into a tight corner at high speed, leaning the bike
over at a gravity-defying angle, then power out of the turn and
instantly set up for the next. It’s important to stay near the front;
the first few riders in a pack can take a corner with little or no
braking. Those toward the back jockey for the best “line” through the
turn, brake, then sprint to catch up with the pack as it accelerates,
developing an “accordion” effect.
In an hour-long race where
corners will number in the hundreds, the constant braking and
accelerating takes its toll; riders who fall off the pace and find
themselves out of contention or lapped by the field, will usually be
removed from the race. A rider who crashes, flats or has some other
mechanical problem, however, may take advantage of a free-lap rule to
repair their bike, proceeding to a repair pit and re-entering the pack
in the position he or she left it a lap later. Attacks and chases
follow one another with dizzying rapidity as riders from one team or
another “take a flyer” off the front. Watch for situations in which one
team greatly outnumbers the others. One team may have a rider attack,
forcing the other teams to chase and then send another as soon as the
first is reeled back in, repeating the process until the competition
folds under the pressure.
If the pack stays together, the
race may end in a field sprint, with each team maneuvering its fastest
rider toward the front in the final laps. While the criterium is a
popular event, and is a national championship event, it is not
contested at the world championships. In many instances, criteriums
will constitute one part of a stage race.
Time Trials
Often called “The Race of Truth,” the time trial pits individuals or
teams against the clock to determine the winner. In the individual time
trial, racers start at specified intervals and try to post the fastest
time over a preset course. The course is usually an out-and-back route
with a single turnaround, though some courses may cover a circuit or
run from point to point. In the team time trial, teammates work
together to cover a designated distance as quickly as possible,
alternately rotating through the lead position and resting in the draft
of the other riders.
The
race to shave seconds in events where only hundredths of a second often
separate the top riders, has triggered a flood of development in
aerodynamics. Aerodynamic tubes, smaller front wheels and carbon fiber
disk wheels have all been seen increasingly in competition in recent
years, contributing to the fall of many time trial records. Even
clothing plays a part. The one-piece skinsuit time trialists use,
instead of the standard shorts and jersey, clings like a second skin.
Teardrop-shaped aero-helmets, wind-tunnel tests indicate, can save as
much time as the aero handlebar.
Team time trials were both
national championship and world championship events and, until 1992,
also an Olympic event. In 1996, the “TTT” was replaced by the
individual time trial in the Olympic Games. The “ITT” was contested for
the first time at the world championships in 1994, where American Karen
Kurreck won the gold medal.
Stage Races
This grueling combination of events, which can be as short as a weekend
or as long as three weeks, often incorporates all three types of road
racing. A small local stage race might have a time trial and road race
on Saturday followed by a criterium on Sunday. A larger regional race
might begin with an individual time trial, then continue over five days
with three road races, a criterium and a circuit race. Major stage
races such as the Tour de France cover more than 1,000 miles in several
stages spread over three to four weeks of racing.
In
stage races, the lowest elapsed time over all stages determines the
winner on individual general classification, or “G.C.” Some smaller
races prefer a system that awards points for stage placings and are
essentially a points omnium.
Time and points bonuses may be
awarded for top-three finishes and for the winners of designated
intermediate sprints or mountain tops in the course of individual
stages. Riders must complete each stage — in some cases within a
specified time limit — in order to start the next. And there’s more at
stake than the individual victory — stage races feature competitions
for the best team and best climber and may also have competitions for
the best young rider and most aggressive rider. The leader in each
individual category receives a special jersey to make him easily
identifiable in the next stage, and teams with little chance of an
overall victory often make one or more of these jerseys, or stage wins,
their objective for the race.
Stage racing emphasizes all-around
ability and strategy. A sprinter who is at a disadvantage in a hilly
stage may choose to concentrate on winning a bonus sprint in the course
of that race. The rider won’t win the stage, but will gain valuable
time (or points) that will maintain or improve their position in the
G.C. A team with a rider well-placed overall will work to protect or
improve that
