MALLORCA LIFESTYLE still a major honour. Lanterne rouge - The last rider on GC. The term means ‘red light’. There’s no dishonour in being the lanterne rouge. Merely to reach the standard as a pro cyclist where you are selected to start the Tour is a substantial achievement, and to finish it, even dead flat last, is no trivial feat. Lead-out man - A rider who specialises in providing a wheel for a sprinter to follow in the final stages of a race. Nestled in the lead-out man’s slipstream, the sprinter waits for the final possible moment, then accelerates for the line as the lead-out man pulls to one side. Pairings of sprinter and lead-out man often travel together from team to team, but not always. Musette - The little cloth shoulder bag handed up to riders at feeding stations, containing food and water bottles. Peloton - This French word simply means ‘group’. It’s also perhaps the most frequently misspelled piece of cycling jargon there is. ‘Peleton’ is not an alternative English spelling of the word, it’s simply a flag that the writer is missing a clue. Radio Tour - The broadcast station that keeps the whole Tour caravan and spectators informed of what’s happening out on the road in the Tour de France. Slipstream - The still air behind a rider. At racing speeds most of a rider’s effort goes into overcoming air resistance, and it’s therefore significantly easier to ride in the slipstream of another rider than to break the air yourself. Soigneur - A member of team staff who looks after the riders, performing duties such as giving massages, handing up food and water bottles, seeing that riders get to their hotels and so on.
Sprinter - A rider who is capable of accelerating very quickly at the end of a race. Sprinters are born, not made: you need a high proportion of ‘fast-twitch’ muscle and steely nerve to go shoulderto-shoulder with a dozen similarly gifted riders at 70km/h. Stage race - A multi-day race such as the Tour, in which each section of racing is a smaller race in itself. Stage races usually have just one stage per day, though ‘split stages’ comprising, say, a short road race stage in the morning and a time trial in the afternoon, are common in less important stage races. Team car - The car that the team’s directeur sportif, a soigneur and a mechanic ride in. The team car is the team’s mobile base on the road and from here the directeur sportif dictates strategy and the mechanic and soigneur look after the riders. Team leader - The team’s best rider, for whom the rest of the team is working to achieve a goal like the overall victory, or the points jersey. Team captain - Sometimes but not always the team leader. The team captain is in charge of what happens out on the road, relaying information and instructions to and from the directeur sportif. If the team captain is not the team leader, then a very experienced rider will take the role. Time bonus - Time bonuses are awarded in some stages for the top finish positions, and for intermediate ‘bonification’ sprints in stages. Time bonuses are generally only on offer in the first week of the Tour and the idea is to generate some more exciting racing, giving the sprinters a chance of wearing the yellow jersey even if they are a few seconds behind after the prologue. Time limit - Riders in each day’s stage must finish with a certain percentage of the
winner’s time or they are eliminated from the race and not allowed to start the next day. The exact percentage varies according to the type of stage, the terrain and the speed. For a fast, flat stage it can be as low as five percent, while for a slow, mountain stage it can be 16 or 17 percent. In certain circumstances the race organisers have discretion not to eliminate riders, for example if doing so would eliminate a very large part of the field. Time trial - A race against the clock, either solo or in teams. Known as the ‘race of truth’ the time trial is the most powerful test of a riders’ ability simply to ride as hard and fast as possible. UCI - Union Cycliste Internationale - the world governing body of bike racing, based in Switzerland Yellow, green, white and polka-dot jerseys are awarded to riders during the Tour de
France if they lead one of four distinct classifications. The jersey for each classification is awarded to the leader of that classification at the end of each stage, and the recipient earns the right to wear it during the following day’s stage. Yellow jersey – overall classification leader The Tour de France yellow jersey is the most coveted item of clothing in professional cycling. The wearer is the rider who has completed the race in the least amount of time, and as such tops the overall or general classification of the race. Green jersey – points classification leader Points are awarded to riders according to the position that they finish each stage, plus points are also awarded for intermediate sprints during some stages. Stage winners get the most points, with less points awarded to those that cross second, third, etc. www.theislander.net
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