Question: Some of the terms used in bicycle racing are

puzzling, aren't they? What are an "attack" and a "counterattack"? Why is

the group of riders in the Tour de France sometimes called "the pack" and

sometimes "the peloton'?

Answer: When a rider attacks, he speeds away from the

others, either the main group or the small group he is with. If another

rider chases him, that's a counterattack. The entire group of riders in the

Tour and all other bicycle races is referred to as "the pack" and sometimes

"the bunch" in British English or "the peloton" if the speaker is using