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Cycling glossary
The words of the pro peloton, explained in plain English, each with the pages where you can see it in our data.
- A
- Agent
- A rider agent negotiates contracts on behalf of professional cyclists.
- B
- Bonus seconds
- Bonus seconds are time bonuses deducted from a rider's overall time for finishing high on a stage or at intermediate sprints.
- Breakaway
- A breakaway is a rider or group of riders who ride away from the main group, the peloton, and try to stay ahead until the finish.
- Buy-out
- A buy-out is a payment that releases a rider from a running contract so they can join another team before the contract ends.
- C
- Classification jerseys
- Classification jerseys are coloured jerseys worn by the leaders of the different classifications in a stage race, such as overall time, points, mountains and best young rider.
- Climber
- A climber is a rider who is strongest on long, steep climbs.
- Continental team
- A UCI Continental team is the third tier of road cycling teams, below WorldTeams and ProTeams.
- Contract extension
- A contract extension is a new agreement that keeps a rider with their current team beyond the end date of the existing contract.
- D
- Development team
- A development team is a feeder squad, usually for under-23 riders, linked to a professional team.
- Directeur sportif
- A directeur sportif, or DS, is the team manager who plans race tactics and directs riders during a race, usually from the team car.
- Domestique
- A domestique is a rider whose main job is to help a team leader win, not to win themselves.
- E
- Echelon
- An echelon is a diagonal line of riders formed in a crosswind, each sheltering behind and to the side of the rider in front.
- G
- GC rider
- A GC rider is a rider who aims to win, or finish high in, the general classification of stage races.
- Grand Tour
- The Grand Tours are the three three-week stage races of men's road cycling: the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.
- L
- Lead-out
- A lead-out is the coordinated effort by a team to deliver its sprinter to the front of the race, at full speed and in the right position, for the final sprint.
- M
- Minimum salary
- The minimum salary is the lowest annual salary a team must pay a rider under UCI rules.
- Monument
- The Monuments are the five oldest and most prestigious one-day races in men's road cycling: Milan–San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Il Lombardia.
- N
- National championship
- A national championship is the race that decides the national champion of a country, usually held each year in the road race and the time trial, with separate categories by age and gender.
- Neo-pro
- A neo-pro is a rider in their first professional season or seasons, usually after signing a first contract with a WorldTeam or ProTeam.
- O
- One-day race
- A one-day race is a road race decided in a single day, from start to finish line, with no overall classification over several days.
- P
- Peloton
- The peloton is the main group of riders in a road race.
- Prize money
- Prize money is the money paid by race organisers for results, such as stage wins, final classifications and days in a leader's jersey.
- Prologue
- A prologue is a short individual time trial held at the start of a stage race, before the first regular stage.
- ProTeam
- A UCI ProTeam is a professional team in the second tier of men's road cycling, one level below the WorldTour.
- Puncheur
- A puncheur is a rider who excels on short, steep climbs and explosive efforts.
- R
- Race radio
- Race radio refers to the radio communication used during a race, both the official race information channel and the earpieces that connect riders to their directeur sportif in the team car.
- Rider contract
- A rider contract is the written agreement between a professional cyclist and their team.
- Rouleur
- A rouleur is a powerful rider who is strongest on flat and rolling roads, able to ride at high speed for a long time.
- S
- Soigneur
- A soigneur is a team staff member who looks after riders' daily needs: massage, food, drinks and care before, during and after races.
- Sprinter
- A sprinter is a rider who specialises in winning flat stages and races with a bunch sprint, reaching very high speeds over the final 200 to 300 metres.
- Stage race
- A stage race is a race held over several consecutive days, with a separate stage each day.
- Startlist
- A startlist is the official list of riders and teams who start a race, usually with each rider's race number.
- T
- Team car
- The team car is the vehicle that follows riders during a race, carrying the directeur sportif, a mechanic, spare wheels and bikes, food and drinks.
- Time cut
- The time cut is the maximum time a rider can finish behind the stage winner and still be allowed to continue in a stage race.
- Time trial
- A time trial is a race against the clock, in which riders start one by one at set intervals and the fastest time over the course wins.
- Trade team
- A trade team is a professional cycling team funded by commercial sponsors and named after them, as opposed to a national team that represents a country.
- Transfer window
- The transfer window is the period in which professional teams can officially announce riders who will join them for the next season.
- U
- UCI points
- UCI points are awarded for results in races on the UCI calendar and are used to build the official UCI world rankings for riders, teams and nations.
- W
- Wildcard invitation
- A wildcard invitation is an invitation from a race organiser to a team that does not have an automatic right to start the race, usually a ProTeam.
- WorldTour
- The UCI WorldTour is the top tier of men's professional road cycling.