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The following terminology is used in the general sport of cycling, as well as the more specific road bicycle racing and mountain bicycle racing.
A
all-rounder
A person who excels in both climbing and time trialing, and may also be a decent sprinter. In stage races, an all-rounder seeks a top-10 place in the General Classification. Eddy Merckx and Lance Armstrong were both notable all-rounders; Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso are more contemporary examples.attack
To quickly accelerate while riding in a pack, or in smaller numbers, with a view to create a gap between yourself and other riders.autobus
A group of riders in a stage race (typically non-climbers and suffering domestiques) who ride together as a block on the mountain stages with the sole intention of finishing within the stage's time limit to allow them to start the next day.B
beyond category
See hors catégorie.à bloc
Riding or going "à bloc" means giving it all you've got, going all out, riding as hard as one possibly can (which can be dangerous for it leaves one in a state where recovery is needed, and therefore vulnerable to being attacked). Example: "I really gave it all in the last kilometres, although I didn't think it was possible until I crossed the line. I just went 'à bloc' " --Alexander Vinokourov describing his win of the final stage of the 2005 Tour de France.bidon
A water bottle.blocking
Riders of one team who set a relatively slow tempo at the front of a group to control the speed, often to the advantage of one of their teammates who may be in a break.bonk
To completely run out of energy on a long ride. Related to hitting the wall.brain bucket
A bicycle helmet designed to prevent or lessen damage to the head and face of a rider; this term is considered slightly insulting and is usually used by those advocating not using helmetsbreakaway
Breakaway or break in short, is when a small group of riders or an individual have successfully gapped the peloton.bridge
When a lone rider or smaller group of riders closes up the space between them and the rider or group in front of them. Most notably when riders catch up with the main pack (or peloton) of riders or those who are leading the race.C
cadence
The rate at which a cyclist pedals (in revolutions per minute).
caravane
The team cars following behind the peloton in support of their racers.chain gang
A group of cyclists cycling in a close knit formation akin to a road race, normally for the purposes of training.
chain slap
Annoying slapping of the bike's chain against the chainstays while riding over rough terrain.chain suck
The tendency of a chain to stick to chain rings and be sucked up into the bike instead of coming off the chainring. Primarily caused by worn chainrings and worst on small chain rings, under high loads, and in dirty conditions.chase
A group of one or more riders ahead of the peloton, trying to gap up to the race or stage leader. There may be none, one, or many chases at any given point in a race.climber
A rider who specialises in riding uphill quickly, usually due to having a high power-to-weight ratio.
commissaire
A race judge, usually based in a car following the event.crack
When a cyclist runs out of strength or energy, s/he is said to have crackedcriterium
A race on a closed course with multiple laps. Often but not always a 4-cornered course; often includes primes (short for premiums) which are points or prizes for intermediate laps. Course length varies from 800 meters to 2 miles.
D
danseuse
(French: danser - to dance) - riding out of the saddle, standing up, usually in a taller gear than normal, and rocking side to side for leverage. dancing on the pedals is related.drafting
To ride closely behind another rider to make maximum use of their slipstream, reducing wind resistance and effort required to ride at the same speed.
drop
To be dropped is to be left behind a breakaway or the peloton for whatever reason (usually because the rider cannot sustain the tempo required to stay with the group).domestique
A rider whose job it is to support and work for other riders in their team (literally "servant" in French).
E
echelon
(French) a line of riders seeking maximum drafting in a crosswind, resulting in a diagonal line across the road.endo
To go over the handlebars in a crash.étage
A stage of a stage race.F
fixie
A fixed-gear bicycle.G
gap
A distance between two or more riders large enough for drafting to no longer be effective. Also used as verb (US English), for example: "Armstrong has gapped Ullrich!". It's much easer for a stronger rider to pull ahead of others once a gap has been achieved; without a gap, the others can draft along using significantly less power to sustain the same speed as the rider in front. While gaps are usually achieved through attacks, on mountain climbs, where slower speeds means the advantage of drafting is much less significant, riders are often gapped who simply cannot maintain the tempo of the faster riders.H
handicap
A style of road racing in Australia where riders are given time handicaps in bunches, with scratch being the last riders to leave and limit being the first riders to leave. The time intervals between groups, and the allocation of riders to groups is decided by the race handicapper, based on rider's ability, age and form. Race honours are usually awarded to the first 5 to 10 riders (depending on the size race) and to the fastest time.honking
(UK English), see danseuse.hors catégorie, or HC
The French term primarily used in French races (most notably, the Tour de France) to designate a climb that is "beyond categorization", an incredibly tough climb. Most climbs are designated from Category 1 (hardest) to Category 4 (easiest), based on both steepness and length. A climb that is harder than Category 1 is designated as hors catégorie.I
individual time trial
Race where riders set off at fixed intervals and complete the course against the clock; fastest time wins.
J
jump
To aggressively increase speed without warning, hopefully creating a substantial advantage over your opponents.K
Keirin
The Keirin is a 2000 metre paced event in which the riders ride behind a motorised derny, which increases the potential speeds. The derny paces the riders for 1400 metres and then pulls off the track, at which time the cyclists begin a furious sprint to the finish. Keirin racing has traditionally been practised in Japan, where it has been a professional sport for over 20 years, and in which pari-mutuel betting on the riders is permitted.L
lead out
Sprinting technique often used by the leadout man where the rider will accelerate to maximum speed close to the sprint point with a teammate, the sprinter, drafting behind, hoping to create space between the sprinter and the pack. When the leadout man is exhausted he will move to the side to allow his teammate to race in the sprint. Often a line of leadout men will be used to form a leadout train to drive the speed higher and higher (and to reduce the chances of other riders attacking) over the closing stages of a race. The purpose of a leadout is for the sprinter to achieve high speed at the sprint approach using as little of his own energy as possible, so he has as much energy as possible for the final sprint.M
Madison
The Madison is a mass-start track event comprising teams of two riders per team. It is similar to a team points race, as points are awarded to the top finishers at the intermediate sprints and for the finishing sprint. Only one of the two team riders is racing on the track at any one time, riding for a number of laps, and then exchanging with his partner by a hand sling.musette
Small lightweight cotton shouder bag, used for containing food given to riders in a feed zone during a cycle race.N
O
open road race
Generally going from point A to point B; can include multi-laps. Can also mean a club event in which non-club members can enter.P
paceline
Group of riders riding at high speed by drafting one another. Riders will take turns at the front to break the wind, then rotate to the back of the line to rest in the draft. Larger group rides will often form double pacelines with two columns of riders.parcours
The profile of the race or stage route.peloton
(from French, literally meaning ball and related to the English word platoon) or bunch is the large main group in a cycling road race. Can also be used to describe the body of professional cyclists as a whole, e.g., "he joined the peloton at 24 years of age."
prologue
A short individual time trial before a stage race, used to determine which rider wears the leader's jersey on the first stage.pull
To take the lead on a paceline or echelon.Q
R
rotating weight
Weight that is rotating while the bike is moving, particularly referring to the wheels. Weight near the perimeter of a wheel has about twice the stored energy of non-rotating weight on a bicycle when moving. Rotation of cranks, wheel hubs, and other parts are of little significance because the radius and speed of rotation are small. Rotating weight resists acceleration (or deceleration), so lighter wheel rims, spoke nipples, and tires allow slightly quicker acceleration. There is no significant difference between rotating and non-rotating weight when at steady speeds or for hill climbing.
S
sag wagon
Support vehicle following long races to pick up riders unable to complete the race. During local rides of up to 75 miles, there are also sag stations spaced along the course. Also brief stop for a banana, orange, fig bars, water or gatorade, with emergency volunteers at each stop.sit on
To ride behind another rider without taking a turn on the front (thus tiring the lead rider), often in preparation for an attack or sprint finish.soigneur
A non-riding member of a team whose role is to provide support for the riders, possibly including transportation and organization of supplies, prepariation of the team's food, post-ride massages and personal encouragement.sprinter
Has the ability to generate very high power over short periods (a few seconds to a minute) allowing for great finishing speeds, but is usually unable to sustain sufficiently high power over long periods to be a good time trialist, and is usually too big to have a high enough power-to-weight ratio to be a good climber.
stage
One part of a multi-day race, such as the Tour de France.
stagiaire
An amateur rider, who is taken in by a professional team during the season. This lets the rider get some experience at riding a few pro races, and the team gets a chance to assess the abilities of the rider.T
team
A team of professional cyclists. Usually one rider will be the team leader and the others will support him, though the team itself will be comprised of a mix of riders from the various specialisations.
team time trial
Riders start in groups or teams, usually of a fixed size. The time of the nth rider of a team counts for the classification.tempo
Steady pace at the front of a group of riders. A relatively fast tempo can be used by a group or team to control the peloton, often to make up time to a break. The group will ride at the head of the bunch and set a fast enough pace to stretch the peloton out (also known as stringing out) and discourage other riders from attacking. Setting a slower tempo can be done for the purpose of blocking.time trial
A race against the clock where riders are started separately (ranging from 30 seconds to 5 minutes apart). The winner of the race is determined by the fastest person across the course. No drafting may be employed in a time trial as it is a solo race event.
time trialist
A rider that can generate relatively high power over long periods of time (5 minutes to an hour or more) in a race against the clock.
track
A cycling track for races, usually but not always indoors. In track cycling, the riders go nowhere, just around and around an oval track banked at up to 42 degrees. The track's other name - the velodrome - sounds space-age, and the helmets, suits and bikes used bear little resemblance to a common two-wheeler.trainer
A piece of equipment that a bicycle stands on so that the rear wheel can spin while the bicycle is stationary, allowing stationary riding.turbo-trainer
A trainer that spins a fan assembly at the same time (for pedal resistance and air flow)tubs
Short for tububar tyres/tires, a type of tyre that is glued onto wheels with tubular rims.U
V
velodrome
A cycling track for races. See track.W
wall
A steep incline along a race's course.wheelsucker
A rider who sits on the rear wheel of others in a group, enjoying the draft but not working. This is often a sprinter who is being "protected" for the finishwith
In contexts such as "riding with" and "finished with" used to mean "next to each other or one behind another, close enough to be drafting". Example: "Samuel Dumoulin (Française Des Jeux) and Simon Gerrans (Ag2r-Prevoyance) joined up with the leading four and set about working well together."WOL
An outside lane on a roadway that is wide enough to be safely shared side-by-side by a bicycle and motor vehicle.X
Y
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"Bicycling terminology"