Abandon
When a rider quits during a race.

Attack
When a rider or riders decide to ride faster than the rest to ride away from the bunch, it is called an Attack or Breakaway. Usually this is done with the intention of getting away from the bunch and riding to a placing at the finish. It is also a tactic used to split the field as it is beneficial for the bunch to go with the attack, but if they are tired, the bunch will get split up. Also see Break.

Bonk
Total exhaustion caused by lack of sufficient food during a long race or ride. Riders have to be careful to cosume enough calories during each stage - a difficult task!

Break / Breakaway
The lead group of riders ahead of the Peloton, if such a group exists. Also known as a Break-Away or, in Europe, an Escape. A break can have from one (a Solo Break) to many riders, and can be as little as 5 seconds ahead of the Peloton to as much as 30 minutes in rare occasions. Which riders are in the Break can be very important not only for who has a chance to win the Stage, but also to the overall standings at the end of the day. e.g. "There is a 3-man Break 1/2 mile up the road with a 45 second lead." Also see Gap, Chase, Peloton.

Bridge / Bridge a Gap
To catch a rider or group that has opened a lead. Also see Break, Chase, Gap.

Broom Wagon
The last official vehicle on the road that "sweeps up" riders who have abandoned the race and were not picked up by their own team.

Bunch Sprint
These can be very spectacular and sometimes frightening. Bunch sprints occur when the bunch approaches the finish line as a whole and all have the same desire to win.

Cadence
The number of times during one minute that a pedal stroke is completed. Also called pedal rpm.

Chase
A group of one or more riders that is ahead of the Peloton but behind the Break. This group has either been Dropped from the Break because they can't maintain its speed or has jumped ahead of the Peloton in an attempt to Bridge the Gap and catch the Peloton. e.g. "A Chase group has just formed as 3 riders have made a move to Bridge the Gap." Also see Break, Gap, Peloton.

Climb Categories
On some stages, several climbs may be designated as "categorized climbs." These are the climbs that count toward the King of the Mountains jersey competition as described below. The categories range from 5 (the easiest) to 1 (the hardest). The most difficult climbs may be rated as Hors Categorie - French for beyond category. More difficult climbs will have more points available to riders. The rating is set by the race organizer and includes, among other things, the elevation gain, the length of the climb, and how late in the stage the climb comes.

Commissaire
A race judge.

Counter Attack
An attack made as or after the break has been caught by a chase group or the Peloton.

Directeur Sportif
Team manager.

Domestique
A Domestique is the "worker ant" of a Team: protecting the leader from the wind, chasing down Breakaway riders, fetching food or clothing for the leader, and even sacrificing their bike's parts to give to their leader if he has a mechanical problem. I know, it sounds absurd, but in the end only one rider can win the General Classification and the Team's job is to give their top rider the best shot at doing that.

Drafting
A racing technique of riding behind another rider or group of riders to avoid some of the wind, either actual wind or just the wind created by riding fast. Drafting is key to cycling and Teams work very hard to keep their key riders Out of the Wind as much as possible. While riding behind one other rider only saves a bit of energy, doing so for a long time adds up quickly. Even better, riding in the middle of a group reduces the energy required by a huge amount. Riders quickly learn to let others fight the wind.

Dropped
This is what happens to riders that have not been able to keep up with the bunch or riders they are riding with. This is usually a result of exhaustion or mechanical failure. They fall behind the pace and can no longer keep up.

Echelon
Similar to a Pace Line, an Echelon forms with riders are lined up to use the rider ahead as a shield from the wind. But the Echelon is specifically formed when the wind is coming at a sharp angle, not from directly ahead. In this situation, the wind shadow is not directly behind a rider but behind and to the side. As each rider positions himself in that shadow, the entire group takes the shape of a diagonal line stretching across the road, a thing of beauty. Also see Drafting, Pace Line.

Finish Line
Relatively obvious, this is the end of the race. Not so obvious is that in cycling, while the order of finishing is recorded and the top finisher wins the day, officially if a group of riders finishes together, they all get the same time. That's important because it means that a rider who is just seconds behind in the General Classification is in the same group as the current GC leader, just finishing ahead of him doesn't matter if they are in the same group. This rule is both for safety to prevent crazy 100 man sprints at the end and also a technical limitation of the timing systems used at most races.

Gap / Time Gap
The amount of time or distance that separates two groups of riders, usually the Break and the Peloton. The Gap can be expressed either in distance (miles, kilometers, yards, meters) or in time (minutes, seconds). Time, however, is much more useful since the overall standings in a Race are based on times. The Gap is closely watched during the Race as it grows (more often an indication that the Peloton is letting it grow than a heroic effort by the Break) and shrinks (a combination of the Break riders running out of steam and/or the Peloton deciding it is time to get down to business.) e.g. "The Break has a Gap of 4:53 on the Peloton." Also see Break, Chase, Peloton.

General Classification
Also known as the GC, this is the overall Tour leader competition. The leader and eventual winner is the rider with the lowest total time for every Stage in the race. When you see a listing of the top GC riders, it is important to notice the times as well. The leader will have his total time listed, while the rest of the riders will have a time relative to the leader, such as +45 seconds. Those relative times are important each day as riders join or get dropped from Breaks since a rider only seconds behind the GC leader can overtake the lead just by finishing a small distance up the road.

Gruppetto
A group of riders that form at the back of the field on mountain stages, who ride at a pace that allows them to finish just inside the time limit (see Time Cut). Usually the gruppetto is comprised of sprinters and other riders that are not climbing specialists or race leaders. Gruppetto is Italian for “a small group” and is also called an autobus (French).

King of the Mountains
A race within the race, the King of the Mountain is a prize awarded to the rider that accumulates the most Climbing points or KOM points. Points are awarded to the first 1-10 riders that cross designated KOM lines that are usually at the top of a big climb. On any given day there might be zero or more climbs that are worthy of such a line. The rider with the most KOM points gets to wear a special jersey each day, and the one with the most points at the end of the Tour will be crowned the King of the Mountains!

Lantern Rouge
is the competitor in last place in a cycling race. The phrase comes from the French "Red Lantern" and refers to the red lantern hung on the caboose of a railway train, which conductors would look for in order to make sure none of the couplings had become disconnected.

Lead Out
A cyclist sacrifices himself by riding fast in front of a team mate who sits in close behind to gain the advantage of the wind block. The front rider, usually a domestique, will ride as fast as possible toward the finish line with the other rider (usually the team leader or team sprinter) right behind. Just before the line the front rider will pull off to the side allowing the rider behind to race through to the finish.

Mass Start
Any race in which all the racers start at the same time.

Mechanical
Slang for a mechanical problem with the bicycle.

Neutral Start
While the Finish Line can be a mad dash, the start of a day of racing for the big Tours is all relaxed. There is typically a Neutral Start which is a part of the course that is not officially part of the race. This exists both to let the local fans see the riders parade past them at low speeds and to safely get the riders out of the confines of the start town. But once the riders hit the real start, game on.

Neo-Pro
A first year professional racer.

Off the Back
Describes one or more riders who have failed to keep pace with the main group.

Off the Front
When a rider takes part in a breakaway, where one or more riders ride up ahead of the main peloton in a race.

Paceline
A long line of riders each Drafting the rider ahead of him to avoid the wind. Pace Lines are often seen in Breaks as the riders work together for most of the day to keep ahead of the Peloton. The riders will rotate at the front to share in the burden of fighting the wind. Pace Lines also happen when the Peloton starts to push hard toward the end of the race, especially if there is a strong wind. Also see Drafting, Echelon.

Peloton
The main, biggest group of riders in the race. All other riders are defined relative to this group, either ahead in a Break or behind and possibly out of the race. e.g. "The Peloton is approaching the base of Mount Monsterclimb." Also see Break, Chase, Gap.

Pull
To take a turn at the front of the group, maintaining the same speed of the group.

Pull Back Time
To make up time on another rider who is ahead on the General Classification.

Puncture
Flat tire.

Queen Stage
The stage of a multi-day race which includes the highest elevation point reach of the entire race. Usually, but not always, the most difficult stage of the race.

Road Rash
Large abrasions on a rider’s legs and body caused by a crash, particularly on asphalt.

Rouleur
A rider who excels on flat and undulating roads and is commonly well suited for one-day races.

Saddle
The bike seat.

Sitting In
To be a lazy / strategic cyclist who doesn’t take their turn at the front of a paceline.

Sitting up
When the rider is no longer tucked, or riding in the most aerodynamic fashion.

Slipstream
The area of least wind resistance behind a rider.

Soigneur
These are team staff that is a combination of masseurs, medics and general aids to the cyclists. They are an integral part of the team support.

Sprint Leader
A race withing the race, the Sprint Leader is the rider who has accumulated the most Sprint points. Points are awarded to the first few riders that cross designated Sprint lines that are usually on flat straight parts of the course. While KOM lines are usually a slow motion battle to see who can reach the top first, Sprint lines are contested at breakneck speeds, often with elbows flying and egos on the line. The Sprint Leader will wear a special jersey each day, and the rider with the most points at the end of the Tour is awarded this prize.

Stage
One day of racing in a multi-day (multi-Stage) Tour. Each Stage is a separate race in and of itself with a winner, but the finishing times of the Stage also count toward the overall leaders of the Tour.

Team Classification
The team classification is typically calculated by adding the times of the three best riders of each team per stage; time bonuses and penalties are ignored. In a team time trial, the team gets the time of the fifth rider of that team to cross the finish, or the last rider if there are fewer than 5 left for the team. If a team has fewer than three cyclists remaining, it is removed from this classification.

Tempo
A steady, consistent pace. Teams and riders can use a brisk pace to bring back breakaway riders and/or dissuade potential attack.

Time Trial
A Stage of a Tour when each rider races not against other riders on the road but against the clock. One at a time, with a couple of minutes between them, each rider is let loose on a course that can range from 2 miles to 20 miles in length. Usually the courses are pretty flat, but there are a few races that feature climbs as time trials. As with any Stage it is the relative times that matter at the end of the day. But in this case, each rider does not have a team to protect him nor do all the riders get the same time in a group finish. This means that a small lead can be lost quite easily.

Tour
A multi-day Stage Race like the Tour de France. Ranging from 3 to 21 days long, with several rest days in longer ones, a Tour provides many days of racing, but ultimately just one overall winner. Usually the Stages are a combination of standard point to point racing, Individual Time Trials and Team Time Trials. Tours in the USA often include a Criterium which is still a standard race, but consists of multiple laps around a course instead of going point to point.