Tour de France: some French Vocabulary
This year’s Tour de France starts in Italy! What’s more, for the first time in its history, the race will not finish in Paris, due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games taking place in the French capital.
But easy and tempting as it is to watch it all on English telly and media, why not tune into a French station and improve your french at the same time.? Here’s some vocab to help you follow.
People
une équipe: team
la tête de course: leader
un poursuivant: chaser
un peloton: pack, bunch
un coureur: rider, cyclist
un échappé: breakaway rider
un grimpeur: climber
Equipment
un maillot (jaune): (yellow) jersey
un dossard: bib or t shirt with competitor number
une crevaison: puncture
un bidon: water bottle
un casque: helmet
The Race
rouler: to ride
dépasser: to overtake
une course: race
prendre la tête: to take the lead
une montée: upward slope
une descente: downward slope
une côte: hill, slope
un col: mountain pass
une étape: stage, leg
une chute: fall, crash
la danseuse: standing up on pedals