DOMESTIQUE
A domestique (from French, meaning "servant") is a professional cyclist who works selflessly in support of their team leader during a race, rather than racing for their own glory. The term is particularly used in road cycling.
Domestiques perform many duties: fetching food and water bottles from the team car and delivering them to the team leader; blocking wind for the leader by riding in front of them; chasing down attacks from rivals; pacing the leader back to the peloton after a crash or mechanical problem; and sacrificing their own bicycle or wheel to the team leader if needed.
The best domestiques are highly valued members of a team and earn good salaries for their indispensable support roles.
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