Ardoisier - A motorcyclist giving information to the riders during a race.

Arrivée - The finish line.

Benjamin du tour - The youngest rider in the race.

Cannibale - Eddy Merckx.

Caravane publicitaire - A parade of commercial floats staffed by young people who throw souvenirs to the crowds, preceding the peloton by about 90 minutes.

Chasseurs “Hunters” /  “chasers” - referring to riders in pursuit of a breakaway.

Classement générale - The “General Classification” – the overall standings in the race.

Coéquipiers Teammates - People who work together for the good of the team and the team leader.

Col - A mountain pass.

Contre la montre - A time-trial.

Coureur - A rider /  runner.

Crevaison - The defining moment of many Tour stages – a flat tyre.

Décrocher - To be left behind by the stronger riders (or hanging up the telephone!)

Départ réel - The real start of a stage is some 2 to 5 km away from the starting point, and is announced by the Tour director in the officials' car waving a white flag.

Directeur sportif - The head coach / general manager of a cycling team.

Domestique - A domestic servant of the team - no team today can expect its leader to contend in the Tour without a number of dedicated domestiques.

Dossard - One of many derisive terms used to describe a rider that never takes a turn at the front, but always allows himself to be pulled along by the other riders.

Doubler - To pass another rider.

Échappée A breakaway – a rider or small group of riders that manages to get away from the peloton.

El Diablo Didi Senft - dressed in a red devil's costume - has been known as the Tour 's devil since 1993.

Étape - A stage of the Tour.

Flamme rouge - The red pennant that hangs over the road to indicate one kilometre to l’arrivée.

Géant de Provence Mont Ventoux – A big mountain in the middle of Provence with very little vegetation and very high winds.

Grimpeur A climber – one of the skinny guys who actually looks forward to the mountain stages.

La course en tête To lead the Tour from start to finish  -the ultimate domination of the Tour ( Jacques Anquetil – 1961).

Lâcher - To drop or let go. See Décrocher.

Lanterne Rouge - The rider in last place on the Classment Generale.

Le sprint - A mad dash for the finish line or some other designated point on the stage.

Maillot à pois - A White jersey with red polka dots worn by the leader of the “King of the Mountains” competition.

Maillot blanc - The White jersey - worn by the best rider - under 25 years - in GC standings.

Maillot jaune - The yellow jersey – worn by the overall leader.

Maillot vert - The green jersey – worn by the leader of the points competition.

Mont - An Alpe that is not in the Alps.

Musette - A shoulder bag containing food and drinks for the riders ( handed to them as they pass through the feedzone.

Patron  - The rider who has earned the respect of the peloton. He need only express his displeasure to enforce the unwritten rules of the race (e.g. Merckx, Hinault, Armstrong).

Plombé - In the early years of the Tour, riders could ride in one of two classifications. Riders of “Plombé” bikes were permitted to exchange parts as they wore out or broke, in contrast with Poinçonné.

Poinçonné - Riders of “sealed” bikes were required to complete the race on the same equipment they started with.

Poursuivants - Another word for “chasseurs”.

Préparations - Euphemism for performance enhancing drugs.

Prix de combativité - The honour of wearing a red race number as the leader in the "Most Aggressive Rider" competition.

Remorqueur - A tow truck - used to refer to a rider who rides in the front to protect his team mates from the wind.

Soigneur - A team staff member whose job is to take care of the physical needs of the riders .

Sprinteur - A rider who specializes in the big finish but frequently drops out when mountains arrive.

Suceur de roue - A wheelsucker.

Tête de la course - The head of the race –  in the lead.

Un besoin naturel - A toilet break.

Vainqueur - The winner.

Vélo - A racing bike.

Virage - A switchback or hairpin turn on a mountain road.

Voiture balai - The broom wagon follows the race picking up riders who have abandoned or are unable to complete the stage.

Zone de ravitaillement  -A designated section of the race where riders pick up musettes from the soigneurs - the feedzone.