leadouts

A leadout is a term used in cycling, particularly in road racing, to describe a specific tactic employed by a team to set up a sprinter for the finish. The leadout involves several riders from the same team working together in a coordinated effort to control the pace and position their designated sprinter in the most advantageous situation for a final acceleration.

The leadout typically begins several kilometers from the finish line. Riders at the front of the formation will gradually increase their speed, often forming a pace line where they take turns at the front to maintain a high, consistent velocity. This effort serves multiple purposes: it reduces the effects of wind resistance for the riders behind, it discourages attacks from other teams, and it helps to position the sprinter safely within the peloton, away from potential hazards or the chaos of the closing kilometers.

As the finish line approaches, usually within the final kilometer or even the last few hundred meters, the leadout riders peel off one by one. Each rider drops back into the main bunch, having expended their energy to create the optimal conditions for their sprinter. The final rider in the leadout train, often referred to as the "last man," will continue to accelerate and pull for as long as possible before launching the sprinter. The sprinter then emerges from the slipstream of the last man with maximum speed to contest the win. The success of a leadout is highly dependent on the teamwork, communication, and tactical execution of the entire team involved.