Attack: A rider attacks when lifting their tempo, to stretch rivals and to perhaps break away from the rest of the field.

Bidon: French for 'water bottle', bidons are attached to the bike frame by or handlebars from which they are easily pulled out and replaced during the race.

Bonk – or blow-up: When a cyclist who loses their energy and can no longer stay on race pace. This is usually a result of exhaustion, lack of food or lack of fitness.

Bunch: The main field of riders throughout the race, also known as the 'peloton'.

Bunch sprint: When the majority of the peloton approaches the finish line together.

Casquette: The small cotton cap worn by riders but now doomed in the name of safety.

Chamois: A soft piece of leathery material that is sewn into the crutch of the 'knicks' to prevent chafing. Riders do not wear underwear under their 'knicks' for the same reason.

Domestique: A workhorse who serves the team leader charged with the role of protecting against the peloton, collecting water bottles from the team car or even sacrificing a wheel should a puncture occur.

Dossard: The panel on the back of the rider's jersey displaying their race number.

Dropped: When a rider is unable to keep up with the bunch or riders they are riding with, usually a result of exhaustion or mechanical failure.

Echelon: Cyclists ride close behind each other to benefit from the wind block from the rider in front. However, the wind blows at different angles so cyclists will place themselves to either side of the rear of the bike in front or directly behind if it is a direct head-wind.

General Classification (GC): The cumulative time at the end of each stage that determines the overall leader of the race.

King of the Mountain (KOM): To reward those riders who are good at climbing mountains there is a competition within the Tour Down Under tour called the King of the Mountain. A separate jersey is awarded for the winners.

Knicks: These are the tight, lycra shorts used by cyclists.

Lanterne Rouge: French for 'red lantern' – said to have appeared on the last carriage on a train. The unofficial prize for the last rider to finish a stage or the race.

Lead-out: A lead out is when a cyclist sacrifices himself by riding fast in front of a team mate who sits in close behind to gain the advantage of the wind block. Just before the line the front rider will pull off to the side allowing the rider behind to race through to the finish.

Musette: The cotton bag picked up by riders at the feeding station, thrown away once the food has been transferred to jersey pockets – also a highly prized souvenir for spectators.

Overall leader: The rider leading in overall time of the tour. Each stage presents chances for individuals to gain advantages to their overall time in the stage results and sprint category. In the sprint category points that are gained go towards removing seconds from the rider's overall time. The overall leader also carries the glory of wearing the coveted Ochre Jersey.

Parcours: The circuit or itinerary of the Tour.

Peloton: French for 'group' or 'cluster' – the bunched field of riders on a road stage.

ProTour: The UCI ProTour is a race series of 14 events featuring the 18 best teams and the best riders in the world. The UCI ProTour comprises individual, team and nation rankings.

Shaved legs: Why do they shave their legs? It looks good and there are also practical reasons. Shaved legs reduce wind resistance; they make for more comfortable massages and reduce the chance of infection caused by bacteria carried on hairs if the rider should fall.

Sign on: If someone forgets to sign on the designated board they can no longer participate in the race.

Soigneur: These are team staff who are a combination of masseurs, medics and general aids to the cyclists. They are an integral part of the team support.

Sprint competition: Designated lines throughout the race route are set as sprint lines on flat, fast areas of the stages. As with the King of the Mountain competition, points are awarded to the first people across the line and at the end of the tour the rider with the most points is awarded the Sprint Jersey.

Team car: This car follows the riders throughout the race and contains the team director, coach and mechanic. It is a back-up car for the team, holding spare wheels, spare bikes, food, drink and medical supplies.

Team leader: The cyclist who has been chosen to try to win the race, usually determined by previous performances. The rest of the team is then made up of the domestiques who will do anything to help their team leader win the race.

UCI: Union Cycliste Internationale – cycling's governing body.