Bibs, Pogi, and Other Words: Your Cycling Dictionary Is Here

by Sophie She

Bibs, Pogi, and Other Words: Your Cycling Dictionary Is Here

1 Jul 2024

Recently, we put together a guide on how true cyclists should dress, and now it is time for... a dictionary. There are so many terms that might stump those new to the sport. But not anymore! Now, you will be in the know.

The Bike, Cycling Apparel & Weird Food

Bibs — Funny cycling shorts that prevent sportsmen tooshies from dying, as they spend up to 6 hrs on a bike.

Bidon — Water flask, Cyclists just show off with French words, really.

Energy Gels — Edible carbs that look like astronaut's food, as it is literally a sort of liquid paste. They provide energy for exercise and promote recovery, commonly used in endurance sports like running, cycling, and triathlons.

Jersey — The stylish cycling tee.

Musette Bag — These bags are given to Domestiques (see below) and are used to distribute gels, food bars, and bedonas, during the rides.

Le Tour’s Specifics

Green Jersey — Awarded to the points classification leader, typically a sprinter.

Mountain King aka Polka Dot Jersey — Given to the best climber in the mountains classification. This one is the fanciest jersey, really, look out for merch with this print.

White Jersey — Awarded to the best young rider (under 26 years old) in the general classification, who for the past many many years is the star of the UAE Team Emirates — Tadej Pogačar.

Yellow Jersey — Worn by the overall leader of the general classification. General classification means that this person got through all the routes faster than everyone else. Even if it is a matter of seconds.

Photo: Paolo Candelo

All Grand Tours Jargon

General Classification (or the GC) — The category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage (aka multiple-day-long) races like the Tour de France. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulative time across all stages.

Grand Tours — Three main professional cycling stage races: Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, Vuelta a España. All of them have their own jerseys and colours, but the meaning is similar.

Photo-finish — When there is uncertainty in terms of who won the stage, the special photo of the finish line is taken and then the jury literally measures everything with millimetres and decides who won the stage. Insane, we know.

Pogi — Tadej Pogačar.

Stage — Literally means “racing day”. So, Le Tour consists of 23 general days: 21 stages (racing days) and 2 rest days.

Time Trials (or TTs) — In Tour de France this stage is called the “race against the watch” in English or “Course Contre-la-Montre” in French. It is a stage, when riders are sent out at intervals to cover a specified distance on a road course. The contestant with the fastest time for the distance wins. Also, they have the funniest outfits.

UCI — Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body of bike racing, based in Switzerland.

Racing

Breakaway — When one or more riders break away from the peloton in an attempt to establish a leading position and even potentially win the race or the stage.

Cadence — Boringly put, it is the number of pedal revolutions per minute (RPM). So literally, how far one pedals.

Peloton — Actually, it is just French from “the group”. Logically, this is how the main group of riders in a road race is called, as they are riding closely together in a large pack. Podium — Not the runway one, no catwalks here. This is a platform, where the race's top three finishers stand to receive their awards (and bubbles). Sprint — A short, intensive, high-speed sprint to the finish line, often deciding the destiny of the race’s podium.

Photo: Markus Spiske

Calling them names

Baroudeur — A breakaway expert or rider, who has a habit of aggressive, attacking racing. Always fun to watch, btw.

Domestique — “Domestique” literally translates from French to “servant”, which describes the job pretty well. It is a rider who sacrifices their own chances of winning to support and assist their team leader during a race. They cover the leader from the wind, distribute food and water among riders, and conquer breakaways to bring the leader to the final point.

Lead-out man — A rider that covers the sprinter up to the final metres of the race. This is a strategic take to save some energy on the sprinter’s side for a better finish, at the expense of the lead-out man. Pairings of sprinter and lead-out man often travel together from team to team, but not always. A good example would be Alpecin — Deceuninck favourite couple — Van Der Poel and Jasper Phillipsen, where the first covers the latter one up to the last phase of the route to secure the stage win.

Sprinter — A rider who is capable of accelerating very quickly at the end of a race. They say, sprinters are born, not made.

Code words to understand the cycling commentator

Bunch sprint — A sprint finish when a large group of cyclists battles for the win.

Draft — It is when one rides closely behind another cyclist to take advantage of the slipstream, which reduces wind resistance (this again, yes) and makes it easier to maintain position and the speed.

Paceline — A strategic technique where riders form a unified line, riding closely together in a drafting formation to reduce wind resistance and conserve energy.

Rotating Paceline — Paceline, where riders take turns at the front, each pulling for a set distance or time before moving to the back to rest. It often looks like a dance.

by Sophie She