Understanding Cycling Terms: The Tour De France

The Tour de France, and cycling in general, tends to use a lot of special terms that may not be familiar to you. Impress your friends by casually tossing these words into the conversation.

Bidon - Drinks bottle, held in a metal casket attached to the bike's frame

Bonification - Time bonus - usually awarded to first three riders to cross the finish line at the end of a stage. These bonuses are deducted from the riders' overall times.

Car balai (also voiture balai) - Broom wagon, so called because it follows the race 'sweeping up' anyone who abandons in mid-stage

Casquette - Racing cap. The winning rider of a stage will usually put on his cap bearing his sponsor's name, and zip up his racing jersey, before crossing the line. This ensures his sponsor's name is clearly seen in the photos that will adorn tomorrow's newspapers.

Classement general - Overall position of a rider in the race, based on time. The lowest time is the race leader, who wears the maillot jaune.

Classement par points - Position of a rider according to the points he has received in stage finishes.

Comissaire - Official who watches for riders cheating. Some riders are given a helping hand up the mountains by enthusiastic fans. Some riders may 'hitch a lift' by hanging onto their team car as they are given instructions.

Contre la montre - A time trial (literally 'against the clock'). In these stages the riders race alone, starting at one minute intervals, and the man with the fastest time wins. These events often decide the big stage races.

Controle de ravitaillement - Feeding station situated along the route where the riders collect bags of food and water bottles. Team leaders usually don't bother to stop; their food is collected and passed to them by their domestiques

Controle medical - Place where daily tests are made to check for drugs

Demarrage - Breakaway group or single rider

Directeur sportif - Team manager who follows the race in the team car from which he can issue orders on the move, These cars are often seen whizzing past on their way to warn the domestiques that their leader has punctured. Some domestiques then try to slow the race while others drop back to pace their leader back to the peloton.

Domestique - Team member whose job is solely to aid his team leader

Equipe de marque - Trade team

Etape - Stage

Grand Prix de la Montagne - Since 1933 this is a special prize for climbers who are awarded points for their position when arriving at the summit of certain climbs. The leader in this competition wears the polka dot jersey and is known as the King of the Mountains.

Lanterne rouge - Literally 'Red lantern' - the last rider on general classification

Maillot jaune - The Yellow jersey worn by the leader on general classification

Maillot vert - The green jersey worn by the points leader

Maillot arc en ciel - The rainbow jersey worn by the World Champion

Musette - Bag containing food available to the riders at the feeding stations

Peloton - Main group of riders

Point Chaud - Hot Spot sprint, held in the middle of a stage where the first across the line wins points and often the villagers where it is held will have a collection for the winning rider.

Prime - Point on the course, often a mountain top, where the first rider to reach it collects a prize

Routier - Race rider

Seigneur - Team member who looks after the riders' health and provides an after-race massage.