Next morning Brocco greeted Desgrange with: "Today, monsieur, we are going to settle our accounts." He won the day by 34 minutes. He limited himself to scorn in his newspaper, L'Auto, writing: "He is unworthy. But he had no proof and feared Brocco would appeal to the national cycling body, the Union Vélocipédique Française. Henri Desgrange, the organiser and chief judge, wanted to disqualify him for breaking the rules. Brocco waited for Faber and paced him to the finish. François Faber was in danger of being eliminated for taking too long and the two came to a deal. Unable to win, the next day he offered his services to other riders, for which he had a reputation. Brocco's chances in 1911 ended when he lost time on the day to Chamonix. Brocco started six Tours de France between 19, finished none of them, although a stage he won in 1911 caused the coining of domestique. The word was first used in cycling as an insult for Maurice Brocco, known as Coco, in 1911. ![]() The rules of the Tour in its first decades forbade team riding, but Pépin did little to affect the result. In an era when riders could be separated by hours, there was no point in hurrying after a rival who could not be caught and passed. It mattered less what speed riders competed than the order in which they crossed the line. ![]() They took 12 hours and 20 minutes longer than Émile Georget on the stage from Roubaix to Metz – they were far from last – and the judges were powerless because the race was decided not on time but points. They rode in the 1907 Tour de France for Henri Pépin, who promised them the equivalent of first prize if they would pace him from restaurant to restaurant. The first riders known to have been employed to help a leader were Jean Dargassies and Henri Gauban. Rare indeed is the major victory that cannot be credited in large part to the groundwork laid by the domestiques. It is they who ride out into the wind so their aces can get an easier ride tucked inside their wheel. It is team tactics which so often win or lose races – and the lieutenants and the dog soldiers who expend their energy blocking chasing moves when they have riders up the road in a position to win. Greg LeMond won the 1986 Tour de France after being Bernard Hinault's domestique in the 1985 Tour de France, as did Jan Ullrich in 1997 after riding for Bjarne Riis in 1996, Chris Froome in 2013 after riding for Bradley Wiggins in 2012, and Jonas Vingegaard, who scored second place at the Tour in 2021 before ultimately going on to win in 20 after being domestique for Primož Roglič in 2020. Lucien Aimar, who supported Jacques Anquetil, won the 1966 Tour de France. Many domestiques have ultimately gone on to achieve fame of their own, however. During their role as domestiques, riders do not share the fame of their respective leaders, such as Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault, or Miguel Induráin. Where the domestique finishes a race is less important than the help he gives. More complicated tactics become possible as the number of domestiques available increases ( see below). From there it is a small step to employing a rider to create a slipstream while their leader rides behind them. Racers have known this from the start and have ridden accordingly, often sharing the lead between them. Riding in the slipstream of another rider is easier than taking the lead. Much of a cyclist's effort is to push aside the air in front of them. The use of the term dates back to 1911, although such riders had existed before then. In French, domestique translates as "servant". In road bicycle racing, a domestique is a rider who works for the benefit of their team and leader, rather than trying to win the race. Note George Hincapie working for his team leader Lance Armstrong, visible in the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. ![]() Domestiques from several teams form lines at the front of the peloton to keep their leaders near the front of the race. For other uses, see Domestic (disambiguation).
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