Amgen Tour of California 2019 Official Program

30 | AMGEN TOUR OF CALIFORNIA | OFFICIAL 2019 PROGRAM 2019 in the breakaway to force other teams to work at the front of the peloton. It’s the kind of rider who’s high up on the general classi- fication and is looking to shake up the rest of the bunch. PELOTON Spectators tune into a bike race and imme- diately see a blur of color, fast speeds and a mass of teams, each working towards their own goals and outcomes. A peloton is a well-oiled machine of professional cyclists, wheels inches from each other, navigating weather, road conditions and terrain. Echelon – In the cycling world, the eche- lon is the most tactical maneuver ever. De- pending on which way the wind’s blowing, teams draft off each other similar to NA- SCAR, meaning they cross each other to get the most shelter possible during high winds. This can play into tactics, especially during flat stages. Feed Zone – The peloton needs their fuel, just like anyone else in the race…which is why all road races have a designated feed zone. This is where the race is unofficially neutralized, so every rider has the oppor- tunity to get some food and drink from the team’s helper. Domestique – The work horse. Each team has designated riders to do the grunt work for their team leaders, whether it be sprint- ers or climbers. You can see them at the front of the peloton driving the pace, pro- tecting their team leader or sprinter. GRUPPETTO What’s going on behind the scenes? This is called the grupetto – the riders behind the action, trying to make the time cut. The cut varies per day but is usually defined as 5-20% of the overall winner’s time for the stage (Ex: A 10% time limit for a stage that took the winner 4 hours would be 24 min- utes). Sprinters – During a toughmountain stage, the gruppetto is made up of riders who rule the flat stages and want to make it across the line within the time limit to start another day. 3KM RULE Despite what happens on the road, GC contenders can feel safe know- ing they’ll start the next day with the same time if they finish safely (with- out crashing) inside 3 kilometers. RACE CARAVAN The breakaway flies by. Then the peloton. What’s with all the cars and vans that follow the riders? That’s the race caravan, basically the hub of the entire operation. Officials – The first huge part of the cara- van is the officials, or commissaires. They’re watching over the entire proceedings, mak- ing sure rules are followed, order is kept. Team cars – Sorted in the order of the gen- eral classification, each team in the race has a team car, which offers food, drink and di- rection to riders in the peloton and break- away. If a rider is in the break, officials allow the team car to drive forward and support their rider in the break. Other support – Always present in the race caravan are race doctors, media and VIPs. They have distinct responsibilities and po- sitions in the caravan. Race doctors have priority when a rider has physical ailments on the road, while media needs the oppor- tunity to take pictures, etc. The VIPs, usually important sponsors, have priority to view the race from a unique perspective. PHOTO: ORAN KELLY