From “aerobic” to “wind relay” – in the lexicon for the Tour de France we explain the most important terms relating to the “Grand Boucle”.
Aerobic and anaerobic
During endurance exercise, lactic acid is produced in the muscle, which the body usually breaks down. If this happens to a normal extent, it is called aerobic exercise. However, if the effort is too high, the lactic acid (also called lactate) can no longer be broken down. This form of exercise is called anaerobic. The muscle acidifies, as a result of which performance decreases. Muscle burning and nausea may occur.
all-rounder
Rider who performs well in both flats, time trials and uphills but is not a winner rider for a Tour.
ASO
Abbreviation for Amaury Sports Organization. The French sports event agency is the organizer of the Tour de France and various other cycle races, such as the Vuelta, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège or the Deutschland Tour, as well as the Paris Marathon and the Dakar Rally.
L’ bus
Group of drivers – mainly sprinters and their helpers – who cannot or do not want to keep up with the front on mountain stages. Called “Omnibus” in German, “gruppetto” in Italian.
Baroudeur (French: old warhorse)
In cycling, “Baroudeur” is the term for a rider who constantly attacks and tries to break away. However, these attempts are often unsuccessful.
Belgian roundabout
Slipstreaming in a group. It is evenly changed from front to back. No driver stays in the lead and therefore in the wind for more than a few seconds.
broom wagon
The last vehicle in a race, used by drivers who have to retire due to exhaustion, injury, illness or the like. This is symbolically signaled by handing over the start number to the race steward.
communique
All results of the day will be announced by the race jury in the communiqué. The communiqué also contains the penalties and falls of the day as well as a short medical report. It also serves as a short-term information medium between the arbitral tribunal, the organization and the participating teams.
roof of the tour
Highest point crossed during the tour. As a rule, the mountain classification on top of the tour is also associated with a special prize, the souvenir Henri Desgrange worth 5,000 euros in memory of the founder of the Tour de France.
Edelhelfer / Edeldomestik
In cycling: Riders who usually have the quality to ride to win themselves, but sacrifice themselves for the team captain and put their ambitions aside. Noble helpers, also known as noble domestics, are an indispensable part of a top team.
EPO
Erythropoetin, around the turn of the millennium THE doping agent for endurance athletes. The hormone increases the number of red blood cells and thus accelerates the transport of oxygen in the body. Increased oxygen concentration in the muscles increases performance. Erythropoietin is actually an endogenous hormone that is also produced industrially. It was originally developed for medical purposes, such as for people suffering from anemia or kidney disease.
The use of this drug can have serious health consequences as it can cause blood to clot.
flame blush
Triangular red cloth hung over the road to mark the last kilometer of a stage or race. Another name is “devil’s rag”.
Gruppetto
Group of drivers – mainly sprinters and their helpers – who cannot or do not want to keep up with the front on mountain stages. Called “l’autobus” in French, “Omnibus” in Germany.
hematocrit
Percentage of red blood cells in the blood. It automatically increases with every person at altitude, but can be raised artificially by adding erythropoietin (EPO). This is considered doping and is prohibited.
Hors category
Extraordinary category of mountains in cycling. “Hors” means “outside” in German. A mountain rating of the Hors Catégorie is therefore the maximum. In German, Hors Catégorie is translated as “honorary category”. There are also categories 1 to 4, with category 4 being the lowest and category 1 being the highest.
hungry branch
Sudden loss of energy in the body due to late, insufficient or no food intake. “Eat before you get hungry” is a very important motto for cyclists and endurance athletes in general.
classic
Traditional one-day races, some of which are more than 100 years old, most of which take place in Belgium, the Netherlands and neighboring northern France. The annual Milan-San Remo race in March kicks off the classic season. The Tour of Flanders, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Paris-Roubaix will follow in April.
royal stage
Usually the most difficult stage of a tour. Often the highest mountain, the so-called “roof of the tour”, is also on the route.
Maillot Jaune
French for yellow jersey
Monuments of cycling
The five most important classic races are also called “monuments of cycling”. These include: Milan-Sanremo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour of Lombardy.
pavés
In cycling: notorious cobblestone passages in northern France and Belgium. The Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders races are particularly feared because of their “pavés”. In the Tour de France, too, the organizers are increasingly incorporating pavés passages.
palmares
In cycling, the palmarès is a list of a rider’s achievements.
peloton
French expression for the peloton of a bicycle race.
Peloton groupe
Consolidation of the peloton after chasing breakaways or catching up from various groups after picking up the pace.
Poursuivant
French for pursuers. This is used to designate drivers or the group behind the leader.
prolog
Short individual time trial to start a tour. Usually only a few kilometers long, the prologue serves to introduce the participants and to determine the first wearer of the leader’s jersey. It has been a frequent part of the Tour de France since 1967, but the organizers have repeatedly dispensed with it, especially in the recent past.
puncheur
A specific type of rider in road cycling. The term is derived from the craft Punzer (performs embossing work in leather and metal) and the English “punch” (“stamp” or “blow”). Puncheurs are often very fast-paced men who can play to their strengths above all on wavy profiles and on short, steep climbs.
Radio Tour
Radio Tour is the part of the radio connections within a race organization that is also available to the teams. Topics such as: defects, falls, time intervals and organizational questions that affect the teams are announced.
rainbow jersey
Jersey identifying the current World Champion: It is white with five stripes in the colors of the rainbow on the chest and on the sleeves. Former world champions wear the rainbow colors on the sleeve of their team jersey.
roller
Rouleur is a racer who does well on flat and slightly undulating terrain. Very often, rouleurs are also good at time trials. Rouleurs are athletic types – but due to their size and weight, they are not experts for the high mountains.
Sprint Royal
Mass sprint, in which ideally all sprint favorites take part and deliver an exciting finale. The target passage should be a straight line that is as long as possible, which allows you to pull off the optimal sprint.
Tete de la course
French for “The top of the race field”.
devil rags
Red triangular cloth marking the last kilometer of the race. Also called “flame rouge”.
UCI
Abbreviation for “Union Cycliste Internationale”. The UCI is the world cycling association.
water carrier
Indispensable part of a cycling team. Water carriers provide their team captains with food and drink and are immensely important helpers, for example when chasing breakaways or as slipstream donors.
slipstream
Riding in the slipstream of the person in front means a power saving of a good 30 percent, depending on your position. Thus, slipstreaming is an important part of cycling. A distinction is made between various techniques of slipstreaming in a group, such as the Belgian roundabout, the wind relay or riding in a row.
wind relay
Slipstreaming in a group in medium to strong wind from the side. From the diagonal staggering of a group using the entire width of the street, the spectator can also see immediately whether the drivers are struggling with the wind. For example, if the wind is blowing from the front right, the relay starts on the right side of the road. There the first driver drives in the wind. The next one follows to the left. A clean change of leadership is also important here. A tearing apart of the group can result in huge time lags for those falling behind.