Cos’è “un gruppetto”?

If you cycle or have watched enough bike racing, you know about leaders and chase groups and that a peloton is not just an overpriced exercycle you ride while being screamed at through a screen by a 22-year-old in Malibu. But who are those stragglers at the ass-end of the race traffic who look like they’re on the rivet and about to blow? Well, some, as it happens, are on the rivet and about to blow. But most are there by choice, and they’re called a gruppetto.

Also known as the autobus, the gruppetto typically comprises sprinters, heavyweights, and domestiques — those unsung heroes with no chance of gracing a podium but who make victory possible for their team leader. On big climbing days, these riders pull their leaders along as best they can. Then, when the road goes up, they hang back, often because they’ve been dropped but usually because they’ve punched the clock for the day.

The gruppetto is typically led by a veteran who establishes a pace slow enough to keep everyone together but fast enough to beat the day’s cut-off time. But, sometimes, if enough gruppetto riders risk not making the cut-off, race organizers will extend their time. (Suck it, Ironman.)

Gruppetto riders have something in common — survival — so there’s a sense of camaraderie, even among opponents, with shared food, drinks, and a healthy measure of bullshitting at the back of the bus, which is why it’s also sometimes referred to as “the laughing group.”

Anyway, we like that last bit the best and we created Gruppetto Archive to celebrate the lighter side of this sport we love. Yeah, we chase the Sunday morning high of a personal best and know if it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen. But since most of us will never realize the delight of la bise and a polka dot jersey from a stiletto-clad French model, Gruppetto Archive is here with stories, merchandise, and other stuff cyclists love.

So here’s to the legends, the laggards, and the loveable losers among us.

Thanks for clipping in.