Vocabulary

[Eden]

I'm giving a talk to the cat 4's next monday on our local race calendar and as we have some *very* green new people this year I though I ought to include a section on vocabulary, since it won't do much good to talk about the calendar if they don't know what a crit is..... (note green, not weak.... we have a very strong new woman who has only owned a bike for a few months!)

So I'd like to put it out to all the current racers, newbie racers, just thinking about racing racers or folks who just want to watch a race and know what the commentators are talking about- what do you hear spoken about that you aren't sure what it means? If you do race, what do wish you'd known before you started. (just vocab and slang for now - race preparation is next month's talk :D )

I have a short list started,but I don't want to prejudice anyone so I won't post it right away. I will however make it worth your while by posting definitions for anyone who gives me suggestions.

Thanks!

[Zen]

Are you making a hand out list?
will this help?
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/Peloton/glossary.html

[Eden]

Yes - I'll be handing it out at the meeting and posting it to our web group.

[Zen]

I couldn't edit fast enough :D

[velogirl]

Eden, send me an email at Lorri@velogirls.com

I have a handout you could happily use from my crit 101 clinic (as long as you keep my credits on there).

[smilingcat]

missing on the list was Lantern Rouge. (red light of a caboose) The last rider.

Fred, Wilma, Barney

Chucking biscuit, snot rocket,

feed zone was in but what about feed bag?

Can't think of much more.
Smilingcat

[Eden]

Cool Thanks!
Feed zone is a good one - though the 4's will encounter few of those ::p

I think I'm going to stick to the more techical terms for the most part- they can figure out how to insult one another themselves... that reminds me, Wheels in Wheels Out and Neutral Support will be good ones too.

but as I promised definitions!

Feed Zone- an area on the race course where riders may be able to pick up water bottles (the pro's can get food too, but I have yet to see anyone pick up a muzette [food bag] in any of our races). Short races generally will not have a feed zone and you are unlikely to see one in a 4's race unless you do one of the longer combined category races. If you have someone to wait in the feed zone for you, you will be able to get anything you supply, otherwise at best you will be able to get a bottle of water, at worst nothing. Check with the organiser before hand to see if they will be providing neutral water - usually it will say so on the flyer or in the Race Bible.

Fred, Wilma, Barney - a Fred/Barney is a person who is shockingly out of fashion, but annoyingly able to beat you, even when riding an old heavy, unhip bike..... poseurs with expensive bikes intensely dislike Freds. A Wilma is the female equivalent of a Fred.

Snot Rocket- snot blown from a single nostril on the fly. Snot Rockets are best only done at the *very back* of the pack or paceline. It can be difficult to maste the art of blowing them without getting snot all over your face or arm. Most people find that they are more skillful at one nostril than the other.

I'm going to have to guess that chucking a biscuit is puking.

[Trek420]

One of my favorite TE compilations of cycling vocabulary/slang

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=4806

[kat_h]

I had to look up Bonking after seeing it on some cycling forums. There's a fun word to try to google.

I'm still brand new at this. Could I have a copy of your handout please?

[ehirsch83]

Don't forget primes(i can never spell it correct). I remember my first few crits, I had no idea what they were but I felt to embarrased to ask.

[Andrea]

Please explain a rotating paceline! They're great to use in a race if everyone knows how to do it!

[chickwhorips]

Does SAG actually stand for anything?

[Eden]

Primes is definitely on my list - Prime - pronounced preem, a prize given during a criterium to keep the action going. A bell is sounded to announce a prime lap and usually the prize is announced- if you can hear it. Primes can be cash, prizes, or even points or time bonuses. They can be given at the discretion of the race organizer to different groups in the race. Often a prime is given to the first racer across the line for the lap, but sometimes when there is a breakaway the organizer will offer the prime to the first racer across the start/finish from the field.

Bonking - running out of energy during a ride. Usually caused by not eating enough! When you bonk severely you may suddenly feel nausea, weakness, dizziness, like your legs don't want to work. Avoid bonk by eating and drinking regularly when you are on your bike - if solid foods disagree with you during a race try gels or more calorie dense drinks.

Pacelines, well I'm really hoping they know that one by now. Its the first clinic we do back in December and we make them practice every weekend by doing a team ride :cool:

SAG - Support And Gear - a van that will pick you up and take you back to the start finish line, but don't get exicited, you'll never see one of these at a race. If you DNF, its usually up to you to get back, but in most races you never have far to go. If you have a catestrophic mechanical or injury and cannot ride your bike back you may be put into one of the lead or wheel cars for the duration of the race.

[Eden]

So here's my list
I've defined all of the types of races and some of the more important things to know about them. Do tell me if I've left anything off!

Time Trial (TT) - in a TT each rider is sent off one at a time to race against the clock, usually in 30 second to 1 minute intervals. You must be very careful when passing other riders that you do not draft them. You can be given time penalties, so when passing try to do it definitively and be sure to move to the left well before you come close to the rider you are passing. For beginners the best “bang for your buck” equipment purchase will be a set of clip on aerobars.

Standing Start - in a TT when you start with one foot on the ground, no holder.

Holder - in a TT when a person holds you up at the start - you have both feet clipped in and the person lets go when the official counts down to go. This is not as scary as it sounds and you won’t fall over. Don’t hesitate to ask the person holding to straighten you up if you feel like you are leaning to one side or the other.

Team Time Trial (TTT) - teams of 4 riders work together to get the fastest time. In this race you can draft, but only your own teammates of course! A team that works together well will have an advantage in this type of race. The time of the team is recorded after the 3rd rider crosses the finish and there are various tactics that can take advantage of this. You can “use up” one of your riders to pull the group faster for longer periods until they have to drop off, but be careful. You may need that extra rider in the case that one of your team members has a flat or a mechanical.

Road Race - our road race courses are generally 12+ mile loop courses, though some are longer single loops. These are mass start races with a rolling enclosure.

Rolling Enclosure - the area between the lead car and follow cars. When you are within the enclosure you can expect the corners to be controlled for you. If you fall behind the enclosure be aware that you are responsible for following all traffic laws. The corner marshals will generally try to close the corners for you, but the only way they know you are coming in time to stop traffic is by radio from the lead car. If you aren’t with the lead car they have no way to know you are coming, so please be very nice to the corner marshals. They are all volunteers and they are doing the best job they can. Don’t yell at them if they can’t /don’t close the corner for you if you have fallen behind.

Corner Marshals - usually a team of 2 people who stand at the corners in a race to stop traffic as the race comes through. In most races you may use the whole road when coming through a corner, but be sure to ask at the race briefing is the official does not specify.

Lead Car - this car drives in front of the pack and will have at least a driver and an official in it. The official communicates with the corners and the finish line. The lead car will go with a break away if one occurs. The lead car will pull off before the finish of a race so that it does not impede the sprint.

Follow Car - this car follows the pack, carries the spare wheels and generally has a driver and a helper to change wheels. The helper also mans the radio and calls in the numbers of any riders who have abandoned the race. Longer/larger races may have separate wheel and follow cars. For the most part the helpers are not going to be trained bike mechanics. If you have a problem other than a flat tire, they will help you if they can, but temper your expectations. They may not have the tools or the knowledge to assist you. Sometimes the follow car will stay with the pack if a break away occurs, sometimes it will go with the break.

Neutral Roll Out - a period at the beginning of the race when the pack is moving from the staging area to the actual start of the race. During this period you are not racing, so the pace should be kept low and people should not be doing a lot of moving around in the peleton. Be aware that all of the lead car drivers here are volunteers and may not do this very well. Several honks of the horn usually indicate that the race has started.

Center Line Rule -in road races, circuit races and TT’s you will still be sharing the road with traffic. The corners will be controlled, and you may be allowed the whole road through them (if it is not specified at the beginning of the race ask!) but the rest of the time you have to be careful to not cross the yellow center lines - not either one of them..... If the officials see you do it they can disqualify you. If you are bumped across the line or go over to avoid a crash they will usually be lenient, but if they see you go over the line and move up in the pack that is grounds for being DQ’d.

Neutral Support - you will be provided a wheel if you get a flat, whether or not you have provided wheels for the wheel car. If you need anthing unusual, like 650 wheels or a Campy casette you should make an effort to provide your own spares - there may not be anything for you otherwise.

Wheels in Wheels Out - you (or your team) must provide wheels in order to receive any in the event you get a flat.

Feed Zone- an area on the race course where riders may be able to pick up water bottles (the pro's can get food too, but I have yet to see anyone pick up a muzette [food bag] in any of our races). Short races generally will not have a feed zone and you are unlikely to see one in a 4's race unless you do one of the longer combined category races. If you have someone to wait in the feed zone for you, you will be able to get anything you supply, otherwise at best you will be able to get a bottle of water, at worst nothing. Check with the organiser before hand to see if they will be providing neutral water - usually it will say so on the flyer or in the Race Bible.

Circuit Race - a multiple lap race around a short course, in our terminology, usually around 6 to 8 miles. Technically most of our road races are circuit races, as it would be logistically very difficult to organize point to point races and the resulting need for transportation. A lap board will be visible at the start finish - keep an eye out, as it can sometimes be difficult to remember which lap you are on. These are also mass start races with a rolling enclosure.

Criterium - a multiple lap race run on a very short, closed course, generally less than a mile per each lap. This is one of the few types of races (unless you move up to the pro’s) where you will have an entirely closed road and be able to ride over the yellow line. Remembering this can be to your advantage. Many people forget that they can ride on the left and it leaves lots of open space to move forward in the pack. Criteriums are not usually run by distance, but are rather based on time + several laps. How far you go depends on how frisky/relaxed the pack is. A count down clock and lap board will be visible at the start/finish line. When the clock counts down a preset number of final laps start - usually anywhere from 2 to 5 and you will see them count down on the lap board. A bell will ring to indicate the last lap.

Prime - pronounced preem, a prize given during a criterium to keep the action going. A bell is sounded to announce a prime lap and usually the prize is announced- if you can hear it. Primes can be cash, prizes, or even points or time bonuses. They can be given at the discretion of the race organizer to different groups in the race. Often a prime is given to the first racer across the line for the lap, but sometimes when there is a breakaway the organizer will offer the prime to the first racer across the start/finish from the field

Pit - in a criterium there is no follow car, but you can still get a wheel change if you get a flat. If this happens you need to go to the pit, which is usually located near the start finish line. You cannot ride backwards on the course! You can however walk backwards on the sidewalk and if there is a way to do it, you can cut throught the center of the course to get there.

Free lap- if you have a flat or are involved in a crash during a crit make your way back to the pit and you will be given a free lap before you are put back into the race.

Pulled - if you fall too far behind in a crit you can be pulled out of the race. If it is going to be a no pull race (this usually only happens if the course is very safe) it is generally announced at the beginning of the race. If you fall behind and think you might be pulled listen for a whistle and watch for an offical to wave you off the course near the start finish.

Stage Race - a multiple event, multiple day race in which the winner is determined by overall time. Our stage races generally consist of 3 to 4 stages including a road race, time trial and criterium. This type of race can favor a good road racer, especially if the course has a lot of climbing as there can be a lot of time to be gained by breaking away on a longer road stage.

Omnium - a multiple event, multiple day race in which the winner is determined by total points. Points are awarded for top 10 finishes in each stage. This type of race favors an all arounder and makes the criterium and tt stages much more important.

Race Bible - provided for stage races or omniums. This document will give you all of the important information for a multiday race. It will usually contain information like maps of all of the venues, race schedules, instructions on check in and sometimes suggestions for food and lodging.

Off Camber - a corner banked so that it slopes out toward the apex of the turn. This is confusing.... so picture this, in the velodrome at Marymoor the track itself has normally banked turns, if you were to ride around the outside of the track (on the grass) you would be riding around off camber turns.

Points Series - several races in which the top finishers accrue points, somewhat like an omnium, but over multiple days at different races. They are usually all the same type of race as well - there are point series on the calendar for all the types of races.

Hot Spot - a few races offer a hot spot sprint - in a points series or omnium race this is an opportunity to get a few extra points and can change the outcome of the overall series. Keep an eye out for where and when these occur.

Upgrade Points - these are different than series points. They can only be earned in mass start races (in other words TT’s don’t count) and are awarded to the first 6 places. 20 upgrade points is enough to upgrade to the next category. 30 points in a year is an automatic upgrade, but it is rarely enforced for the women. This may change if we have more 3’s only races.

[Eden]

The Wiki has a nice vocab list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycling_terminology

btw - some of my definitions may only be valid for local races - other areas may have different rules or ways of doing things.

[RoadRaven]

Good words here...

A good list - well done...

What about -

Sucking wheels / Wheel-suckers

Drafting

The other phrase you might hear instead of "Bonking" is "Hitting the wall"

[Andrea]

I'm glad to hear they know about pacelines, but do they know about a rotating paceline? Where you have one line (ideally the side shielded from any cross wind) advancing and one "retreating" line that the riders from the advancing line pull off to as their rear wheel clears the front wheel of the person in front of the retreating line.

http://www.sceniccityvelo.com/Training_paceline_riding_2.jpg

It's sooooo nice in a race when a group needs to work together and everyone knows how to do it smoothly.

[Eden]

Yes - we teach them rotating pacelines first off and we make them practice too. Our team is known in the area for having the best drilled newbies in the pack. We also do hands on (or should I say bike on) clinics on climbing, cornering and sprinting. Our experienced women go out before the crits at stage races and ride through them with the new people so that they can learn the best way to handle the cornering. We try to do as much as possible to make sure our women are safe and confident when they race.

[Andrea]

That's awesome- It would have been nice to have teaching like that around here when I started. I learned most of my race tactics through the "trial by fire" method :eek:

[7rider]

missing on the list was Lantern Rouge. (red light of a caboose) The last rider.



Lantern Rouge???
I never heard of that one.
Hmmm.....

[Eden]

Lantern Rouge???
I never heard of that one.
Hmmm.....

I think it may have been first coined at very early TDF's - a red lantern used to be displayed on the caboose of a train to indicate that it was the last car - so the last guy in the race got dubbed the lantern rouge.

[7rider]

I think it may have been first coined at very early TDF's - a red lantern used to be displayed on the caboose of a train to indicate that it was the last car - so the last guy in the race got dubbed the lantern rouge.

Well, then...that would be me! :cool::rolleyes::D

[ehirsch83]

I think it may have been first coined at very early TDF's - a red lantern used to be displayed on the caboose of a train to indicate that it was the last car - so the last guy in the race got dubbed the lantern rouge.


It was. At my work party last year(I work for a gym, and the owners also own one of the LBS's, so it was a joint gym/lbs gholiday party) we went bowling and I got the Lantern Rouge Trophy for being the worst bowler-haha!

[hellostarshine]

Sandbagging might be one? :rolleyes:
When I first started racing I couldn't understand the difference between a crit and a rr. I knew the crit was a shorter loop but didn't see any other difference. After my first race (and after getting dropped on the first surge!) I was straightened out.
It might be helpful to talk about how physically different fast, sugry (is that a word) crits are from long rr's

[RoadRaven]

I think it may have been first coined at very early TDF's - a red lantern used to be displayed on the caboose of a train to indicate that it was the last car - so the last guy in the race got dubbed the lantern rouge.

Yes, it did evolve from the TdF.
They used to give out a jersey for it, and it was quite tricky to keep the red jersey... you had to ensure you were finished within the time restriction, but still be slow enough to keep the jersey.
The riders who consistently got the Lanterne Rouge had to be very skilled at pacing themselves "just so".
One of last years bike mags - it was either RIDE, CycleSport or Bicycling Aus - had a list of Lanterne Rouge "winners" - some of these guys were able to win it 2-3 years running!

Like the "yellow jersey" has become synonmous with winner, "lanterne rouge" has become part of cycling vocab.

[Eden]

Sandbagging might be one? :rolleyes:
When I first started racing I couldn't understand the difference between a crit and a rr. I knew the crit was a shorter loop but didn't see any other difference. After my first race (and after getting dropped on the first surge!) I was straightened out.
It might be helpful to talk about how physically different fast, sugry (is that a word) crits are from long rr's

Someone always asks how fast races are (in other words am I fast enough to race or if they are arrogant am I fast enough to kick all your lame butts... )...... the answer is basically the same as what you are talking about - its not the speed, its the surges, but I think explain it all you want and people still just don't understand until they've experienced it.

[RoadRaven]

its not the speed, its the surges


I HATE surges

Raven aka "Grumpy Smurf"

[hellostarshine]

Honestly, I think the surges are worse in womens 1,2,3 events than mens 'cause we're forced to race more tactical with smaller fields(unless you're lucky enough to be at a NRC race) That's just my silly opinion though. Surges DO suck. Seriously. Gah.

[jesvetmed]

FYI... I have a friend VERY into dog sled racing, and she tells me the Red Lantern is traditional in these races also -- the last one in to a check point at end of day.
Kind of off subject, but interesting, no? :rolleyes:

[Andrea]

Why is everyone hating on the surges?!?!

...I find them very useful :p

[ehirsch83]

Honestly, I think the surges are worse in womens 1,2,3 events than mens 'cause we're forced to race more tactical with smaller fields(unless you're lucky enough to be at a NRC race) That's just my silly opinion though. Surges DO suck. Seriously. Gah.

I find that(after having raced with the women and with the men) that one of the main reasons why they are worse in the women's races is that the women tend to break through the corners(yuck), so they then surge on the straightaways, where the men flow through the corners and then accelerate from there, but the acceleratin isn't so surgey that way.

[Brandy]

Someone always asks how fast races are (in other words am I fast enough to race or if they are arrogant am I fast enough to kick all your lame butts... )...... the answer is basically the same as what you are talking about - its not the speed, its the surges, but I think explain it all you want and people still just don't understand until they've experienced it.

That's me! :o I know that in my case, someone who has never raced...it's good to know if I'm capable of even hanging with the pack before I get out there. Good point about the surges though!

[Brandy]

Great post, by the way Eden!