Attack: A sudden acceleration to elude other riders.

Barspin: While in the air, the rider leans backwards, one hand is removed from the bars, the other hand spins the bars, then the rider catches the bars and rides away.



Berm: In mountain biking, an artificially created bank that allows a corner to be taken at an exaggerated angle and therefore at higher speeds.



Blocking: Getting in the way of other riders, usually to prevent them from chasing a teammate.

BMX: Abbreviation for bicycle motocross.

Bonk-bags: A musette/satchel to carry food to fight tiredness

Break, breakaway: A rider or group of riders that escapes the main pack.

Bridge: To escape one group of riders and join another group ahead.



Bunny hop: An advantage technique that involves a mountain biker lifting both wheels off the ground by crouching and then springing up with the bike. A bunny hop enables a rider to clear obstacles such as holes in the ground and fallen branches.

Case pad: The larger landing area, so riders have something to land on in case they come up short.

Cadence: The number of times the pedals revolve in a minute.



Chase group, chasers: Riders trying to catch a breakaway.



Derailleur: Mechanism that moves the chain from one gear to another.

Derny: An electric bike that sets the pace in the keirin event



Disk wheel: A solid wheel with aerodynamic qualities, usually used in time trials.



Domestique: A team rider who will sacrifice his own results for those of a designated teammate.

Double: Jump featuring two humps.



Drafting: Riding in the slipstream created by another rider or riders, enabling the rider to ride faster with less effort. Also called sitting in.



Drop-off: An obstacle in mountain biking where the trail drops vertically. It may only be a few inches or considerably more. Drop-offs differ from jumps in that the riders gain no height in negotiating them, but literally drop off to the lower level.



Echelon: A staggered line of riders, each downwind of the rider immediately ahead. An echelon can move considerably faster than a solo rider or a small group of riders.



Feed zone: A designated area along the race course where support crews may hand food and drink to competitors.



Field Sprint: A sprint to the finish by the main group of riders.



Flyer: A surprise attack, usually done alone.



Forcing the pace: When a rider or team rides harder than the pack.



Free-wheel: A sprocket that drives the rear wheel, but that also can run free without the pedals being turned.



Full-suspension: Mountain bikes with suspension at both the front and rear wheels.

Gate: Platform area with a hinged gate at the start of a BMX race.



Granny gear: The lowest gear on a mountain bike, used on long, steep climbs.

Holeshot: In BMX, the rider who gets off to the best start got the "holeshot."



Honk: To ride off the saddle, standing on the pedals to gain more power.



Jump: A sudden sprint in an attempt to break away from the main part of the field.

Kink: Where the first part of the ramp and the second part meet, about 18 feet from the start gate.



Leadout: A sacrificial tactic in which one rider sprints with a teammate in tow, providing the initial acceleration for the teammate's sprint.

Lip: The top of the jump.

Main Event or Main: Another name for the final of a BMX race.



Massed-start racing: Another term for road racing.

Moto: A single racing heat in BMX racing.



Paceline: A line of riders who share turns in the lead position.



Peloton: The main group of riders, also known as the pack, bunch or field.



Pole line: The innermost line on a velodrome surface, used to measure the length of the track.



Pull: To take a turn at the front of the group, maintaining the same speed of the group.

Ramp: The starting hill.



Repechage: A heat added to a race that has the sole purpose of allowing losers from an earlier round another chance to reach the next stage of the competition.

Rhythm Section: A series of jumps or rollers back to back on a track that pose as an obstacle.

Rock garden: A patch of rocks placed in a part of a mountain bike course to make it more technically challenging.

Roller: An obstacle on a track that is rolled over as opposed to being jumped.

Saddle: The seat on a bicycle.



Scratch races: Track races where all competitors start on equal terms.



Singletrack: In mountain biking, a path or trail wide enough for only one rider at a time.



Sit in: To stay in the pack to avoid setting the pace of a race.



Slipstream: The area of least wind resistance behind a rider.



Sprinters' line: A line marked distinctively in red, placed 35 inches from the inside of the track; sometimes referred to as the safety line.

Staging Area: The area where the BMX riders gather or are placed in chutes for loading into the gate.



Suspension fork: Innovation where the front fork is sprung like a motorcycle so as to absorb trail bumps.

Tailwhip: A trick in which the frame of the bike performs a complete rotation around the front end, which remains stationary throughout the move.



Trackstand: Balancing in place on the track. Usually happens in the sprint when a rider tries to force his or her opponent to take the lead.

Transition: The part of the track where the start hill meets the flat round.

Triple: A jump with three humps.



UCI: The acronym for Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body of cycling.



Up the banking: The position near the top of the corner banking where the sprinter is able to develop an attack.



Velodrome: A bicycle racing track with banked turns and flat straight-aways.



Waterbar: A sharp-sided trench that criss-crosses a mountain bike descent.



Wind-out: A sprint that develops from a gradual acceleration. A wind-out is usually initiated with more than a lap to go.