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Cycling Lingo
Here is a list of cycling lingo ..so you can amaze your friends! A bloc Full gas Achtervolgers “chasers”, riders trying to reach another group ahead of them Autobus group of riders at the back in a mountain stage who collaborate to finish in time Ardennes hilly Ardennes region of Belgium Arrivée arrival, the finish line Bas côté unpaved sides of a road Bidon water bottle Baroudeur courageous rider compensating moderate ability by combative riding Bordure formed when riders adopt an echelon formation in a crosswind Bosse “bump”, a short hill Caduta crash Chasse patate “potato hunting”, when a rider is trying to bridge across from the bunch to the lead group Cima summit Cima Coppi prize awarded for the first to the top the highest mountain pass in the Tour of Italy Classic prestigious one day race that has been staged for many years Contre la montre “against the watch”, a time trial race Col mountain pass Commissaire race judge Côte small hill Crevaison puncture La Doyenne “old lady”, the nickname of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège race Départ fictif symbolic start point of race Départ réel actual point when the racing begins after the neutralised procession ends Directeur sportif Team manager Domestique “servant”, a rider tasked with helping a team leader Dorsales Race numbers pinned to the jersey Echapée breakaway Enfer du nord “Hell of the North”, nickname of the Paris-Roubaix race Etape stage Etape reine Queen stage, the crucial mountain stage in a race Flamme rouge “red flame”, the red kit symbol signalling 1km to the finish Flahute a tough rider, usually from Flanders or Northern France Fringale a state of hypoglycaemia, the blood sugar falls and a rider runs out of energy Grand boucle “big loop / buckle”, a nickname of the Tour de France Groupe de tête lead group in a race Grimpeur a “climber”, a rider suited to riding in the mountains Grupetto see “autobus” Gruppo compatto “compact group”, when the bunch absords any breakaways and all the main riders are back together Hellingen “ramps”, the term used to describe the short but steep climbs of Flanders Hors délai Outside the cut-off time |
Jour sans “day without”, when a rider as an off day in a stage race, conceding time to rivals
Kasseien cobbles Kermesse a village festival where often a bike race is included Kop van de wedstrijd Head of the race, the front group Lanterne rouge “red light”, the name given to the last rider on the overall classification Maglia rose Pink jersey Maillot jaune Yellow jersey Maillot vert Green jersey Maillot à pois Polka dot jersey Monument one of the five most prestigious one day races of the year Mur “wall”, a steep climb Omloop circuit or race Passista rider capable of fast riding on the flat Peloton “platoon”, the main pack or bunch of riders Pendenza gradient or slope Pistard track rider Puncheur rider capable of frequent attacks Primavera “spring”, the nickname of the Milan-Sanremo race Prime bonus payment, often awarded at a set point in the race Prix Prize Prix Henri Desgrange prize awarded to the first to the top the highest mountain pass in the Tour de Franc e Ronde “round”, circular route for a race or a tour Rouleur rider capable of fast riding on the flat Salita a climb Service course a team’s headquarters and base Sommet Summit Strade bianche “white roads”, unsealed dust roads in rural Italy Vlaanderen the Flanders region of Belgium Volata sprint Voiture balai broom wagon, the last vehicle in a race, it “sweeps up” any dropped riders Voiture neutre neutral service vehicle |