Terms from the race radio

(by Giana Roberge, PROMAN/Paradigm, Team Speed Queen)

Many up-close pictures of professional cyclists show them with a radio cord traveling from behind their neck to an earpiece tucked neatly away, usually behind a piece of tape. These radios allow the riders to talk to their teammates in the race as well as their directors driving the car in the caravan behind the peloton. The radios provide information as well as direction from the person driving the car. Below is a list of some of the terms used and what they mean from the director and rider’s perspective.

Attack: When told to attack, riders on the team (who are usually selected at the prerace meeting) look for an opportunity to try to escape from the pack with as few other riders as possible. They do this by sprinting hard away from the group at a time when they might get the biggest gap possible or when it will take enough effort for someone to chase them down that there is a hesitation allowing for a gap to open.

This can also be a warning that there is an attack, and it is usually given with the side that the attack is coming on and, if there is enough time, who or what team it’s coming from.

Bridge: This means that a rider needs to get from the group he or she is in to the group or rider that is up the road. When a rider “bridges” a gap, they typically do it solo or with only one or two other riders. They use an “attack” to bridge the gap. By doing this, the team ensures they have someone in the break, which can either negate the break, or help to keep it away. When someone bridges to the break, he or she has left his or her team behind but has a better chance of winning the stage. However, if a team has a rider in the overall race lead, and the break they are in gains enough time to threaten their team’s overall lead, they may be asked to “sit on” (see below) or to “situp” out of the break and let the main field catch them to assist in the chase.

Cover: Typically used in a prerace plan: “We are going to cover important breaks.” This means that when a split does occur and a break forms, or an attack happens that creates a break, the team needs to have presence there.

Bring Back: This means that the team, working together, needs to bring the attack or group up the road back by riding at the front at a pace that is faster than the break up the road. This is to protect the team’s marquis or protected rider. When the team is bringing back a break, they are doing it in such a manner that their protected rider and most of the field is sitting behind the “train” of riders at the front. Typically, this is done only when the team has a rider in the lead or when they are riding for the race to come down to a field sprint.

Counter Attack: Something that happens when one attack is brought back. It is an effective tool for creating a break, or within an already established break, getting rid of one of the threatening riders.

Chase: Used to “bring back” a break. This is a methodical use of energy, usually timed to precision so that the break is brought back at the perfect time, either to set up for a final field sprint, or when the team can best contain any counter attacks that happen when the break is finally brought back to the main field. Sometimes, a chase can happen almost throughout the race with the team riding “tempo” at the front (see below), with the director keeping close tabs on the time split and notifying the team of exactly the time difference, and the distance to the finish, so that mathematically, the team knows how much energy to invest in the chase. Typically, when a team chases it means there is someone of threat in the break. If there is a break that is no big threat but they want to keep it in a certain time range, the team will ride tempo (see below) at the front of the race. By doing this, they may sacrifice a stage win, but maintain the overall lead of the race.

Tempo: This refers to the speed at which a team rides at the front. When the team has a rider in the yellow leader’s jersey, there are times that the best way to protect the lead is to have the team ride at the front fast enough that it deters any attacks. If there are attacks and a break does form, the team maintains its organized pace line at the front and just picks up the speed enough to bring back the break. The team in the lead will ride tempo until they are close enough to the finish line that they know their lead of the race will not be threatened if an attack does go away and stays clear until the finish.

Sit on: Once in a break, a rider may sit on. This means they will pedal at the back of the break and not assist in the pace making. This is done to either negate the break, or to help slow it down by not assisting in the pace making or a rider will do this in order to rest so that later he or she can have a better chance at winning the stage or attacking the break. If the rider’s team is chasing behind, the rider in the break will never work the break and will sit on. Typically, if a rider has covered a break and the rider’s team has the overall lead of the race, race etiquette dictates that the other riders in the break do not expect the rider whose team has the lead to work the break.

Work the Break: Opposite of sitting on the break, if a rider is working the break, he or she is assisting in the pace making. This also means that his or her team is not working in the peloton behind, and is getting a chance to recover. If the team approves of the break, they will be very attentive in the pack behind the break to make sure no one else bridges to the group in front, or if they do they bring another of the team members with them.

Other information that comes across on the radios is if someone has flatted or had a mechanical, if there has been a crash, when feeding is allowed, where the intermediate sprints are, who is in the break and where they are in the overall rankings and what is for lunch back in the caravan car.