Attack is the term used to describe the action of launching a sudden attempt to pull ahead from a rider or group of riders, usually in a race or a competitive situation.
The term attack comes from the French verb attaquer, which means to assault or strike.
An attack is a tactic used to gain an advantage over the opponents, either by creating a gap or by forcing them to chase. Some related terms are breakaway, surge, or acceleration.
An example of an attack is when a rider launches a solo move in the final kilometers of a stage, hoping to reach the finish line before the peloton catches up.
Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.
He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.