The UCI has two official languages, English and French but cycling borrows from many languages. Here’s a list of the most commonly used ones. Some are so widespread that English speakers use them instead of their own words, think peloton or soigneur. But are foreign and might appear when you’re watching a race on TV, for example an on-screen caption from a Belgian race. Online translation engines don’t know their cycling culture, so this lexicon is designed to help.
Whilst I’ve put the translations below, you might want to look up the English meanings if you don’t know your yellow jersey from your pink jersey etc. The list isn’t exhaustive so please email in any additions.
| 4×4 | when a breakaway of four riders gets four minutes and is inevitably caught before a sprint finish |
| A bloc | full gas |
| Autobus | group of riders at the back in a mountain stage who collaborate to finish in time |
| Aankomst | “arrival”, the finish line |
| Ammiraglia | “flagship”, a team support car in Italy |
| Ardennes | hilly Ardennes region of Belgium |
| Arrivée | see “aankomst” |
| Barrage | when commissaires order vehicles to drop back, leaving a rider to get back to the peloton by themselves instead of behind a team car |
| Bas côté | unpaved sides of a road |
| Baroudeur | courageous rider compensating moderate ability by combative riding |
| Betonweg | concrete road |
| Bidon | water bottle |
| Bidone | Usually used after “Fuga” to signify a pointless breakaway |
| Bordure | formed when riders adopt an echelon formation in a crosswind |
| Bosse | “bump”, a short hill |
| Caduta | crash |
| Casse pattes | “paw breaker”, used to describe a hilly but not mountainous route |
| Chapeau | “hat”, as in I tip my hat to you, a term of respect |
| Chaudière | “heater” or “boiler”, a slang term for a doped rider |
| Chasse patate | “potato hunting”, when a rider is stuck between the bunch and the lead group |
| Cima | summit |
| Cima Coppi | prize awarded for the first to the top the highest mountain pass in the Tour of Italy |
| Classic | prestigious one day race that has been staged for many years |
| Contre la montre | “against the watch”, a time trial race |
| Col | mountain pass |
| Commissaire | race judge |
| Coureur | racer |
| Course | race |
| Corridore | see “coureur” |
| Côte | small hill |
| Chute | see “caduta” |
| Crevaison | puncture |
| Deelnemers | starters, the list of entrants for a race |
| Départ fictif | symbolic start point of race |
| Départ réel | actual point when the racing begins after the neutralised procession ends |
| Directeur sportif | team manager |
| Domestique | “servant”, a rider tasked with helping a team leader |
| Dorsales | Race numbers pinned to the jersey |
| Dossard | see “dorsales” |
| La Doyenne | “old lady”, the nickname of the Liège–Bastogne–Liège race |
| Dubbelslag | “double strike”, to take a stage win and become the overall leader |
| Echappée | “escape”, a breakaway |
| Enfer du nord | “Hell of the North”, nickname of the Paris-Roubaix race |
| Etape | stage |
| Etape reine | Queen stage, the crucial mountain stage in a race |
| Flamme rouge | “red flame”, the red kite symbol signalling 1km to the finish |
| Flahute | a tough rider, usually from Flanders or Northern France |
| Flandrien | see “flahute” |
| Fringale | a state of hypoglycaemia, the blood sugar falls and a rider runs out of energy |
| Fuga | see “Echapée” |
| Fuoriclasse | “unrivalled”, a champion or thoroughbred rider without equal |
| Gilet | waistcoat |
| Giro | a tour or lap, often used as a label for a race |
| Grande boucle | “big loop / buckle”, a nickname of the Tour de France |
| Grand tour | “big tour”, any one of the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia or Vuelta Espana races |
| Groupe de tête | lead group in a race |
| Gregario | see “Domestique” |
| Grimpeur | a “climber”, a rider suited to riding in the mountains |
| Gruppetto | see “autobus” |
| Gruppo compatto | “compact group”, the bunch absorbs any breakaways and the riders are back together |
| Hellingen | “ramps”, the term used to describe the short but steep climbs of Flanders |
| Jour sans | “day without”, when a rider has temporary collapse during a stage race, conceding time to rivals |
| Kasseien | cobbles |
| Kermesse | a village festival where often a bike race is included |
| Kinderkopjes | child heads, see “kasseien” |
| Kop van de wedstrijd | see “groupe de tête” |
| Kopgroep | see “groupe de tête” |
| Lanterne rouge | “red light”, the name given to the last rider on the overall classification |
| Lekke band | see “crevaison” |
| Lombardia | a northern region of Italy around Milan |
| Maglia rosa | Pink jersey |
| Maillot jaune | yellow jersey |
| Maillot vert | green jersey |
| Maillot à pois | polka dot jersey |
| Meta | see “aankomst” |
| Monument | one of the five most prestigious one day races of the year |
| Mur | “wall”, a steep climb |
| Musette | cotton bag containing food that is passed to a rider in a feed zone |
| Omloop | circuit or race |
| Opgave | “give up”, a rider who quits a race |
| Palmarès | a list of a rider’s wins and achievements |
| Parcours | the course or route of a race |
| Passista | rider capable of fast riding on the flat |
| Passo | see “col” |
| Patron | “boss”, a rider who commands the authority of many in the bunch |
| Pavé | see “Kasseien” |
| Peloton | “platoon”, the main pack or bunch of riders |
| Pendenza | gradient or slope |
| Pente | see “pendenza” |
| Poggio | a small hill, the name of the crucial final climb in the Milan-Sanremo race |
| Puncheur | rider capable of frequent attacks |
| Primavera | “spring”, the nickname of the Milan-Sanremo race |
| Prime | bonus payment, often awarded at a set point in the race |
| Prix | prize |
| Prix Henri Desgrange | prize awarded to the first to the top the highest mountain pass in the Tour de France |
| Raton | wheelsucker |
| Ravitaillement | feed zone, where riders are passed up food and drink from the roadside in a musette |
| Renner | see “coureur” |
| Ristoro | see “Ravitaillement” |
| Ronde | “round”, circular route for a race or a tour |
| Rouleur | see “Passista” |
| Salita | a climb |
| Scalatore | see “Grimpeur” |
| Service course | a team’s headquarters and base |
| Soigneur | “carer”, a team helper who assists with massage, food preparation and other work |
| Sommet | Summit |
| Stagiaire | “intern”, young rider hired on a trial period with a team |
| Tappone | see “Etape reine” |
| Testa della corsa | see “kop van de wedstrijd” |
| Vuelta | A tour or lap, see “Giro” |
| Waaier | see “bordure” |
| Wedstrijd | see “course” |
| Vive le tour | long live the tour |
| Vlaanderen | the Flanders region of Belgium |
| Voiture balai | broom wagon, the last vehicle in a race, it “sweeps up” any dropped riders |
| Voiture neutre | neutral service vehicle |
If you like these terms, please see “Le Jargon Cycliste” from July 2014, a look at French colloquialisms in cycling.
