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TDF Jargon Buster

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Moses

Simon Poidevin (60)
Staff member
I figure this would make a good blog post for new fans of the sport... please contribute any nuggets to the thread and I'll compile them into a blog post


GC = General Classification; The ultimate winner of the Tour de France wins the General Classification and wears the yellow jersey.
TT = Time Trial; all riders complete the same course racing against the clock. The best


Jerseys
Yellow = General Classification; The race leader with the shortest time accumulated on all stages
White = Best young rider; Same as the Yellow but only for riders under 26
White with red polka dots = King of the Mountains; Rider who has claimed the most points in designated climbs
Green = Sprint; Rider who has claimed the most points in designated sprints

Climbs
HC = Hors catégorie; a hill climb that is so tough it is beyond categorisation. Originally used to describe mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass, these climbs include an altitude difference of at least 1,000 meters and have an average grade of at least 7 percent.
Category 1 climbs last 20 kilometers with an average 6 percent grade and ascend 1,500 meters.
Category 2 climbs are 5 kilometers or longer at an 8 percent grade and ascend 500 meters.
Category 3 climbs last approximately 5 kilometers, have an average grade of 5 percent, and ascend 150 meters.
Category 4 climbs are short and easy.
 

Jnor

Peter Fenwicke (45)
I'd love to know some of the more colloquial expressions around the tour - any slang or idioms that most people wouldn't have heard. Like something for going hard - like 'knee down' in motorcycling
 

Scarfman

Knitter of the Scarf
IIP = I'm in pain.

ITMTAOF = I think my thighs are on fire.

DMBPLL = Does my biological passport look legit?
 

cyclopath

George Smith (75)
Staff member
Natural break - cameras go off rider because he's pissing off the side of his bike
The Big Ring - on the bigger front chain ring so by definition 'ard
Bonked - sudden failure to function due to depletion of all energy reserves. Less fun than the more common definition.
 

Ash

Michael Lynagh (62)
Autobus - a group of riders who form up at the rear of a stage in a stage race to work together and beat the time cut. Usually happens in tough (mountainous) stages and consists largely of domestiques and sprinters. Also called grupetto.

Bottle - nickname for Levi Leipheimer. Short story goes that when Leipheimer joined Armstrong's team, Armstrong wanted a drink, so he just pointed at a newcomer and said "bottle".

Broom wagon - support vehicle driving behind the race picking up riders unable to finish.

Palmares - what races a rider has won

Parcours - profile / route of a race

Peloton - main bunch / field of riders

Road rash - grazes and cuts received from hitting the tarmac

Shelled - riders falling off the back because they can't keep up with the pace.

Tete de la course - French for "head of the race"

Wheelsucker - a rider who sits on the rear wheel of others and doesn't do any work. Generally refuses to put his nose into clear air.
 

Karl

Bill McLean (32)
Cirque du Risible - a collection of amateur riders who follow the TDF dressed like Lycra clad clowns.
 

Gibbo

Ron Walden (29)
Groupetto: the normally bunch of sprinters who get together regardless of team and work to get each other over the hills. Basically the Hill battlers.
Crack: See Bonked.
Red number: most agresive rider for the previous stage (basically longest time in a breakaway).
 

Jethro Tah

Bob Loudon (25)
Lanterne rouge ("red lantern", i.e. the red warning light at the end of a train) - the rider who finishes Le Tour with the slowest time but most importantly avoids elimination, and also refers to that rider at the end of each stage as the holder of the Lanterne Rouge. I am led to believe that riders do compete for this as it gives them a profile above the other slow finishers, i.e. there is no such thing as bad press. Correct me if I am wrong but I think prize money is awarded to the winner of the Lanterne Rouge.
 

Jethro Tah

Bob Loudon (25)
Groupetto: the normally bunch of sprinters who get together regardless of team and work to get each other over the hills. Basically the Hill battlers.
To clarify, the Groupetto or Autobus do not necessarily work together to get up the hills. In fact they stick together in a bunch to avoid rather than beat the elimination cut off time. The rules state that there is a maximum number of riders can be eliminated on any one stage. I don't know the exact maximum but say for example it is 10 then if the Groupetto comprises of 15 riders all together in a bunch that exceeded the time limit then none get eliminated. As long as they stick together in a bunch of greater than the maximum number of potential elimants then they are safe regardless of how long they take. It has been known that when the sprinters and lead-out riders who usually form the Groupetto don't like a particular rider and that rider starts to lag behind then they won't wait for him so as to get him eliminated.
 

Moses

Simon Poidevin (60)
Staff member
Riding yourself inside-out: When a rider gives absolutely every last ounce of energy to put his team mate in a stronger position and then when he has nothing left pulls off to the side to try and somehow make the finish before cut-off.

Elimination time: The slowest time a rider can finish a leg in and be allowed to continue in the next leg. In le Tour it is based off the time the first rider takes to cross the line, so has to be calculated on the fly. Rob McEwen explains it pretty well at 2:28 in this clip
 

Gagger

Nick Farr-Jones (63)
Staff member
Great stuff in here - any volunteers to write up into a post for the blog - you'll look like a genius!
 
G

G&GR News Bot

Guest
Term/Phrase

Definition
GC/General Classification
The ultimate winner of the event wins the General Classification and wears the yellow jersey. In events other than the Tour de France it could be another colour ie Tour Down Under is Ochre.
TT/Time Trial
All riders complete the same course racing against the clock.
GT
Grand Tour – There are only 3 every year that span 3 weeks. Giro Italia, Vuelta Espana and Tour de France
One Day Classic
One day races that take place as part of the Professional season. The big five ‘Monuments’ are Milan – San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Giro di Lombardia
Yellow Jersey (TdF)
General Classification; The race leader with the shortest time accumulated on all stages
White Jersey (TdF)
Best young rider; Same as the Yellow but only for riders under 26
White with red polka dots (TdF)
King of the Mountains; Rider who has claimed the most points in designated climbs
Green
Sprint; Rider who has claimed the most points in designated sprints
HC – Hors catégorie Climb
A hill climb that is so tough it is beyond categorisation. Originally used to describe mountain roads where cars were not expected to be able to pass, these climbs include an altitude difference of at least 1,000 meters and have an average grade of at least 7 percent.
Category 1 Climb
Climbs last 20 kilometers with an average 6 percent grade and ascend 1,500 meters.
Category 2 Climb
Climbs are 5 kilometers or longer at an 8 percent grade and ascend 500 meters.
Category 3 Climb
Climbs last approximately 5 kilometers, have an average grade of 5 percent, and ascend 150 meters.
Category 4 Climb
Climbs are short and easy.
Natural break
Cameras go off rider because he’s pissing off the side of his bike
The Big Ring
On the bigger front chain ring so by definition ‘ard
Bonked
Sudden failure to function due to depletion of all energy reserves. Less fun than the more common definition.
Autobus
A group of riders who form up at the rear of a stage in a stage race to work together and beat the time cut. Usually happens in tough (mountainous) stages and consists largely of domestiques and sprinters. Also called grupetto
Bottle
Nickname for Levi Leipheimer. Short story goes that when Leipheimer joined Armstrong’s team, Armstrong wanted a drink, so he just pointed at a newcomer and said “bottle”
Broom Wagon
Support vehicle driving behind the race picking up riders unable to finish
Palmares
Races that a rider has won
Parcours
Profile/route of the race/stage
Peleton
Main bunch/field of Riders
Road Rash
Grazes and cuts received from hitting the tarmac
Shelled
Riders falling off the back of the Peleton because they can’t handle the pace.
Tete de la course
French for “head of the race”
Wheelsucker
A rider who sits on the rear wheel of others and doesn’t do any work. Generally refuses to put his nose into clear air.
Cirque du Risible
A collection of amateur riders who follow the TDF dressed like Lycra clad clowns.
Crack
See Bonked
Red Number
Most aggressive rider for the previous stage (basically longest time in a breakaway). This title is then selected at the end of the tour.
Lanterne rouge
The rider who finishes Le Tour with the slowest time but most importantly avoids elimination, and also refers to that rider at the end of each stage as the holder of the Lanterne Rouge
Riding yourself inside-out
When a rider gives absolutely every last ounce of energy to put his team mate in a stronger position and then when he has nothing left pulls off to the side to try and somehow make the finish before cut-off.
Elimination time
The slowest time a rider can finish a leg in and be allowed to continue in the next leg. In le Tour it is based off the time the first rider takes to cross the line, so has to be calculated on the fly
Yellow Helmets
The (slightly controversial ie not liked by the riders) requirement to wear Yellow helmets for the team winning the best overall time for the tour. This is new to the TdF
Dirty
Someone who is riding with Performance enhancers or the the suspicion.

Feel free to comment here and we’ll add your definitions.
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