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CYCLING TERMS:

Criterium – A multi-lap, one-day race around a relatively short course. Laps typically are usually less than one mile. Criteriums often take place in urban areas with sharp turns, so crashes and fierce, competitive sprints are common. A popular criterium race in Arkansas is the Mercy Classic held in Fort Smith each Fall and the final event of the Joe Martin Stage Race.

Domestique – A French term for the riders who support their team leader in the race. A domestique's goal is not to win the race for themselves, but to help their team leader win by protecting the leader from wind, chasing down attacking riders, etc. They are the unsung heroes of the peloton.

Drafting – As in car racing, riding close behind another rider gives a cyclist an advantage by protecting the rider from the wind. Drafting requires 20 percent less effort than riding in the open air. (See “Lead Out”)

Drop – To ride away from following riders who cannot keep up the same pace.

Feed Zone – A designated area along the route where riders can grab “musette bags” filled with food and drinks as they ride by. Each team has their own bags that they hand off to their riders. There is an unwritten rule in the peloton that riders should not attack the field while the riders are going through the feed zone.

Field Sprint – A mass sprint among the peloton, or the largest group of riders in the day's stage, that occurs at the finish line. This can be one of the most exciting scenes in all of sports.

General Classification (G.C.) – The overall leader board in the race showing each rider's total cumulative time in the race.

Grand Tour – Refers to one of the three, three-week major cycling stage races: Tour de France, Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy), and Vuelta a Espa–a (Tour of Spain).

Gruppetto – A group of riders that form at the back of the field on mountain stages, who ride at a pace that allows them to finish just inside the time limit (see Time Cut). Usually the gruppetto is comprised of sprinters and other riders that are not climbing specialists or race leaders. Gruppetto is Italian for “a small group.”

Lead Out – When one rider sets a fast pace for a teammate, who is drafting from behind. This is typically done in the sprints, allowing the following rider to be shielded from the wind until the last possible moment when they sprint for the line.

Peloton – The main field, or pack, of riders in the race. Peloton is French for “platoon.”

Stage Race – A multi-day race that is comprised of daily “stage” races, in which the cumulative time at the end of the stages determines the winner. Stage races can last anywhere from three to 25 days. The Tour de France is the most famous example of a stage race.

Time Cut – Mostly applicable to the Grand Tours. On each stage all riders must finish within a certain percentage of the winner's time to remain in the race. Those who are unable to make the cut are disqualified from the race.

Time Trial – Also called the “Race of Truth.” Each rider competes individually in a time trial, racing against the clock. Each rider begins alone, followed by another rider thirty seconds to one minute later. Riders can pass each other on the course but they are not allowed to draft off of each other. Team time trials involve each team riding as a unit against the clock, where they are allowed to draft off of themselves but not off of other teams on the course.