Cyclist definitions

Introduction and background

As you may have noticed, many of the cycling terms are French words. This may be because cycling as we know it today originated in France, and also because the world’s biggest cycling event happens to be the Tour de France. Many bike parts (think of derailleur), accessories (think of bidon), road surfaces (think of pavé), and even the bunch (peleton), are French words.
Then the French decided that there should be a distinction between cyclists who have explosive power, and those who can climb, and everyone in between. So, here a few terms used to describe these warriors who do battle on the slopes, on the flats, and on the cobbles, in no particular order. Each team member has an important role to play.

Sprinteur

These are the guys who are a bit muscular, who struggle up the climbs, but who fight it out at the end of flat stages. They often have a track background, and are ok with some bumping as the finish line approaches. They are able to finish the race with explosive power, with surges of several hundred metres. They usually use lead-out men, who shield them until the final sprint acceleration.

Domestique

Every race winner needs a support team, and the domestiques in the team are there only to assist the real contenders. They are the guys who go back to the team car for water bottles, and then ride back through the peleton to hand out the fresh bottles to their team mates. They also spend time in front to shield the team, and generally sacrifice themselves for the team. They are seldom race winners.

Rouleur

One definition is a rider who goes hard on all terrain with strength and style. This is a cyclist who loves his job, who will ride in front, who will take the wind, who will work for his mates, who is always race-ready, and who trains in the worst weather, because that’s his job. Another definition is a badass cyclist.

Puncheur

These cyclists are good all-round athletes, best suited to rolling hills with short steep climbs. They can’t deal with the high mountains, or the out-and-out sprints, but given the right course (parcour) they can deliver stage wins, and are excellent classics riders.

Baroudeur

These are the cyclists who you want to win. They are disrupters and break-away specialists. They take chances during the race by getting away from the main bunch, hopefully with a few others, but often on their own, in the hope of getting to the finish line before the chasers. Their reward would be the prize for combativity.

Grimpeur

These guys need no introduction; they are specialist climbers. The steeper and the longer the better. It is impossible to win a Grand Tour without the ability to climb. The Tour winners are climbers who have also learned the art of time trialling. It is in the mountains where time is gained and lost. It is entirely possible to gain 30 minutes on sprinters on a day where there are big climbs, and this is where tours are won. The top ten finishers of all Grand Tours will be master climbers, who are still able to stay in the bunch on most courses.

Which type of cyclist are you?