Different Types of Cyclist in Road Racing

In cycling there are different types of road race and different types of cyclist. Even though a cyclist may cross the line first, thereby winning the stage, that is not always the overall objective of a team. There are one-day road races where the goal is to get to the line first – either in a breakaway situation or because it has come down to a bunch sprint. However, in a stage race – a race that is run over a number of days or weeks – there are different types of jersey up for grabs which reward different kinds of cyclist.


Cyclists are not all riding for themselves, because they belong to a team and, depending on the race, there will usually between five and nine riders to each team. Clearly, not all races cover the same kind of terrain and so it is important to have the right balance of strengths to counter any potential weaknesses. If a stage is likely to come to a sprint finish, then a team is built around the sprinter. He will be protected, so that he does not have to expend any more energy than is necessary and in the last few kilometres his team-mates will try to put him in the best position to win the race.


A sprinter’s body composition will vary considerably from that of a mountain goat, for instance, because he can afford to carry extra weight. He will have more fast-twitch muscle fibres that enable him to get up to speed quickly, but do not help when it comes to getting up the mountains. A mountain climber obviously has to keep his weight down if he is going to get up the hills faster than his rivals. There is usually less predictability when it comes to mountain stages, because it can be quite difficult for one team to take charge. There are climbs that are better suited to some riders more than others – there are the puncheur-type riders who can attack on short, sharp climbs, but who struggle on the longer mountainous stages.


Domestiques are the riders whose job it is to protect their team leader, whether it means dragging their sprinter up through the mountains or setting the pace at the front on the race to keep their general classification man in with a chance. The type of riders who usually excel in stage races are all-rounders, who are good at everything, including time trialling. At the end of the day, it is all well and good for a team to be built around a single rider, but in a time trial there is no hiding. In the ‘race of truth’ there is no shelter from the wind and he has to have the legs to set a decent time. A team needs to have faith that their leader can do this.


In stage races, there are usually four types of jersey – one that rewards the man who covers the whole of the race fastest; one that rewards a young rider who finishes the course fastest; one that rewards the man with the most points accumulated on the mountains and one that rewards the man with the most points accumulated in sprints at the finish and in intermediate sprints. There are a lot of cycling teams and their budgets vary considerably and this obviously influences the races they target, the tactics they use and who makes the team.