Professional Cycling For the Fans - Team Positions

OK, I hear terms like domestique, super-domestique, GC Contender, Breakaway specialist when describing riders in the pro-peloton.

I can figure them all out except super-domestique. What is an S-D rider? Also are there any other positions that a person can fill while riding in the pro peloton? THanks.

Super-Domestiques are the guys who follow the teams' GC rider up the mountains. It is their duty to pace the GC dude and chase down attacks that may threaten their standing in the overall classification.

They are plenty capable climbers in their own right. Most could become GC riders themselves.

Breakaway riders are what domestiques become in between the mountain stages. Of course, some are better at riding at a high pace for a long period than others (Fabian Cancellara comes to mind), and are designated to go off the front and force other teams to use their riders to catch them to protect their rider's overall positions or points standings.

an s-d rider is or more appropriately was a saunier duval rider. they have disbanded after the little problem they seem to have with syringes. Pereiro is a super domestque in that he has won the tour before, but is riding support for valverde, aka a gc contender, who is showing a genuine dislike for high mountains and time trials making people wonder if the right person is leading caisse de espagne. popovych is also another super domestique, while christophe brandt of the same team is just a regular domestique, a guy who carries water bottles to the team leader, chases down breaks, and gives up wheels if the leader gets a flat. a breakaway specialist is probably best understood by googling the name jackie durand and researching his career. a sprinter who is good enough to compete for the green jersey generally gets some leeway when its time for the dirty work of chasing down breaks, as does a climbing specialist who competes for the polka dot jersey, but when it's really crunch time, thet have to grab a bucket so to speak.