Bike Talk

Last month we gave you a bit of a low-down on road cycling and its categories and terminology. This month I thought we would explore the mystified world of bike talk - courtesy of Cycling Australia.

Cycling jargon can be confusing for a newcomer. Here are a few words and terms that may be used by cyclists.

Attack: a sudden explosive/aggressive surge in speed aimed at cycling away from another rider or group of riders.

Bunch: a group of six or more cyclists. The main bunch is a race is often referred to as the peloton or pack.

Break/Break away: a rider or group of riders that have gained distance ahead of the main race bunch.

Handicaps: some events grade riders based on their ability. This is determined from previous races.

Sitting on/Drafting: this is where a cyclists rides directly behind another to conserve energy by slipstreaming. A rider is shielded from the wind, which makes riding easier (and can cut down up to 30% in effort).

Dropped: describes rider(s) that have failed to keep pace with the group/bunch they were riding with.

Massed start: events where all competitors line up together and leave the starting line at the same time.

Leadout: a race tactic in which a rider accelerates to top speed for the benefit of another rider, the following rider uses the drafting effect to race past for the final sprint.

Opens: an open event is a race in the National or State calendar. These races are open to entries from all Cycling Australia members and apply to road, track and mountain bike racing.

Time trial: riders start individually at a given time interval and race against the clock. Cyclist ride by themselves, sitting on/drafting is not allowed.

Turn: 'taking a turn' is where each rider rides at the front of their respective bunch or group in turns of 100 to 200m and then goes to the back of the bunch. The result is a much faster ride overall for the bunch of riders and everyone has a chance to recover from 'pulling' the bunch along as they pedal at the back.