Cycling Jargon Buster

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 Bing 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.