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Cycling iSport - Cycling terms Category: Sport and Leisure > Cycling Date & country: 01/02/2014, UK Words: 369

Red kite
A red flag that marks the last kilometer of a road race.

Pulley
Small wheels on rear deraillerus that allow the chain to move freely.

Pursuit
A track time trial from a standing start where two riders race against each other, starting on opposite sides of the track. See 4000m, 3000m.

Quick release
Skewer used to secure a wheel to a frame with a clasping lever.

Radial lacing
A type of wheel built with spokes that run directly from the hub to the rim without crossing.

Rainbow jersey
A white jersey with rainbow bands running horizontally around the chest. It is awarded to the world champion in each cycling discipline and type of competition

Prime
A mid-race sprint. Usually in a criterium, where the first rider across the line wins a prize.

Prologue
A short time trial held at as the first stage of a stage race.

Pull
To make an effort at the front of a group of riders.

Pull off
To move off the front of a group of riders after pulling. See pull through.

Pull through
Pulling off in a paceline. The through refers to continuing your progress up the line towards and off the front.

Presta valve
The most common valve stem on racing bicycles. Unlike schrader valves, a presta valve is narrow and tapers to a small, threaded locknut on the tip.

Popped
See blow up.

Polka-dot jersey
The jersey awarded to the leader and eventually to the winner of the mountains classification at the Tour de France.

Points race
A race where periodic sprints award points to the top finishers. The final winner is the rider that accumulated the most points.

Points classification
A competition within a stage race based on points earned at intermediate sprints and the finishes.

Poach
General term for riding where you are not supposed to be. Could be jumping into an organized ride without registering or riding on trails closed to bikes.

Play
Unwanted movement in a bearing assembly. If unchecked, it can cause a loss of power and eventually damage to the whole system.

Pave
French word for cobblestone.

Peloton
The group of riders that form the race. All actions in a race are defined by their relation to the peloton, whether riding ahead of or falling behind.

Pinch flat
When an inner tube is squeezed between the rim and the tire, resulting in two holes that resemble a snakebite.

Paris-Roubaix
Classic race run from north of Paris to Roubaix, near the Belgian border. Characterized by numerous sections of very rough cobblestones.

Palmar
French term for the list of a racer's best results, a sort of racing resume.

Paceline
A group of riders working together to take advantage of the draft.

Pack
See peloton.

Olympic sprint
A track sprint race of three laps with three riders starting together. Each rider pulls for one lap then pulls off, leaving the last rider to sprint for the line.

Omnium
A stage race or series of races scored on points rather than overall time. Unlike a stage race, omniums often allow riders to pick and choose the races they want to enter.

On the rivet
Riding at the limit of one

OTB
Off The Back.

Overall
See general classification.

Non- drive side
The side of the bike without the drive train. The left side when standing over the bike looking toward the front wheel.

Noodle
To ride easy without working to hard. Noodling typically happens on a recovery ride.

Off season
The training or rest period in between race seasons.

Offset
The distance a fork holds the front wheel away from a line drawn through the steerer tube.

Neutral wheels
When the support vehicle in a race will provide a wheel to any rider with a flat. See wheels- in-wheels-out.

Nipples
Aluminum or brass nuts that secure a threaded spoke to a rim.

No one else in the photo
The best way to win a race -- alone off the front with no else behind you. Refers to the fact that a finish photo would show no other riders in the background since you are so far off the front.

Neo-pro
A first-year pro rider.

Neutral support
Technical assistance during a race that is available to any rider regardless of team.

Motor pacing
Training behind a motorized vehicle.

Mountain bike
A bicycle designed to perform optimally on dirt roads and trails. Manufacturers have created a broad range of subtypes intended for different disciplines: cross country, downhill, dual slalom, freeride, all

Mountain cross
See 4-cross.

Mountains classification
Competition in a stage race that awards points to the riders who perform the best over the various mountain stages.

Mash
Turning a gear slowly and awkwardly. As opposed to spinning.

Mass start
Track or road race where all participants start as one unified field.

Master
A racer over 30 years old.

Match sprint
Track sprint between two riders over three laps.

Mechanical
Term for any problem with the bicycle in a race.

Miss and out
A mass start track race where the field starts together, then the last rider on each lap is pulled out until three remain to sprint out the victory.

Lugs
Collars of metal or carbon that a tube is inserted into before being brazed or glued into place. Lugs are typically the headtube, bottom bracket and seat cluster.

Lycra
Stretchy fabric included in most cycling clothing.

Madison
A team points race on the track. Teammates ride one at a time, taking turns as needed to sling each other into and out of the action. Named after Madison Square Gardens, where the races were first held. See Americaine.

Marathon
A mountain bike race between 60 and 100 km.

LSD
Long Steady Distance.

Low gear
A gear combination with a smaller gear ratio that allows a rider to pedal easier. On a climb, a low gear allows a rider to pedal at a higher cadence. See downshift.

Leg warmers
Full length removable leggings that turn cycling shorts into tights. Allow a rider to adjust warmth depending on changing conditions. See knee warmers, arm warmers.

Line
The path a rider takes through a turn. In general, the best line is the straightest path through the turn, resulting in the smallest amount of speed loss. See corner.

Long steady distance
Rides done over longer durations (usually more than two hours) at hard but sustainable pace.

Lactic acid
When the body breaks down glucose for energy, lactic acid is produced. See lactate.

Lanterne Rouge
Red lantern in French, refers to the last rider in the general classification of a stage race. The phrase is derived from the red lantern that would hang from the last car of a train.

Lead out
The last rider, usually a teammate, in front of a sprinter before the finish. The lead out sprints to take the lead rider to roughly 200m to go.

Lead-out train
The teammate or team that precedes a designated sprinter in the run to the finish.

Lactate tolerance
Traditionally considered the ability to tolerate higher levels of lactate and thus to continue at a high intensity efforts for a longer period of time. The idea was that repeated efforts causing an accumulation of lactate would allow the body to adapt to that higher level. With the role that lactate plays in energy production evolving, however, it is unlikely that lactate is actually causes this discomfort. Instead, it is likely that the correlation with higher lactate levels is merely a coincidence. Instead, it is likely that the release of hydrogen ions raises blood acidity, and not the lactate itself, that limits exercise and it is tolerance of this higher acidity that we are really training. See lactate.

Lactate threshold
Point where the body produces more lactate than can be cleared, meaning that exercise beyond this point is unsustainable. See functional threshold.

KJ
See kilojoules.

Knee warmers
Removable knee covers that turn normal shorts into knickers.

Lacing pattern
The organization of spokes on a wheel. For example, 3-cross lacing has each of the spokes cross the other three times.

Lactate
After the body breaks down glucose to produce energy, the resulting lactic acid quickly releases hydrogen ions and recombines with potassium and sodium to form a new compound called lactate. Higher levels of lactate are associated with decreased ability to sustain exercise. Once viewed as a waste product, experts now a agree that lactate actually plays a complex role in facilitating energy production and that it is not, of itself, responsible for fatigue. See lactate threshold and lactate tolerance.

Kit
The collection of clothing that a cyclist wears to ride.

Junior
A rider 18 years old or younger.

Keirin
A sprint race on the track where a group of riders

Kick
A sudden burst of speed at the end of a race.

Kilojoules
A measure of the total work done during a ride, as measured by a power meter. Roughly translates into calories burned.

Kilometer
A velodrome event, also known as the kilometer time trial, ridden from a standing start where the rider is held by a mechanical starting machine or volunteer. See red kite.

Jersey
A shirt designed for cycling, made of breathable material such as polyester (with some lycra for stretch) and with pockets in the back for holding food and other roadside essentials.

JRA
Just Riding Around.

Jump
To make a sudden acceleration, whether to initiate an attack or a burst for the finish line.

Integrated seat tube
A seat tube that extends beyond the junction with the top-tube and seat-stays to form a sort of seat post. Usually requires cutting to broadly adjust the height, with smaller adjustments available through a moveable clamp.

Intermediate sprint
A sprint line before the finish that is usually part of a points competition during a stage race.

Intervals
In training, efforts over set durations designed to train one component of fitness. Usually done in groups with set rest periods; e.g. 2x20 would be two 20-minute intervals.

Integrated headset
Frame with cups built directly in which allows bearings to set in the frame instead of in separate cups.

Hub
The center of a wheel with flanges that connect to spokes and bearings to allow an axle to spin freely.

In the drops
To ride with your hands grasping the drops. A position used at high speed for aerodynamics.

Index shifting
Shifters with mechanical levers that direct each shift onto a particular gear.

Individual pursuit
See pursuit.

Hook
To hit the front wheel of a rider behind with your rear wheel.

Hour record
The farthest distance covered in one hour in a velodrome.

Housing
The sheath that protects a shift or brake cable and allows it to move smoothly.

Hoods
The upper portion of road bike brake levers that provides an additional hand hold. Typically has a rubber cover.

Hill climb
A race to the top of one particular hill.

High gear
A gear combination with a larger gear ratio. Subjectively, a high gear is harder to pedal allowing the rider to continue pedaling at higher speeds. See upshift.

Headset
Bearings which secure the fork, via the steerer tube, into the headtube.

Heart rate
As a cyclist pedals harder, the heart starts to pump faster to get more blood, and therefore more oxygen, to working muscles. Thus heart rate, the number of beats per minute (BPM) rises and provides and indirect measure of cycling performance. See power.

Hex wrench
See allen key or wrench.

Handlebar
The metal or composite tube that a rider holds onto to control the bicycle.

Handling
A description of the overall impression that a bicycle gives the rider, based on the combination of all frame geometry and components.

Head tube
The very front tube of a bicycle frame that is attached to the top tube and downtube. The headtube holds the fork in place via the steerer tube.

Gruppo
The collection of many of the components traditionally used to build a bicycle. It includes all drive train parts, brakes, brake/shift levers, hubs, headset, and bottom bracket and sometimes a seatpost. Also, Italian for peloton.

Gutterball
Intentionally riding in the gutter in a crosswind to force other riders to either form echelons or ride in wind.

Hammering
Going hard.