dossard

plural dossards

1. cycle racingA bib attached to the back of a cyclist's shirt that carries the cyclist's race number.

   Hurricane Bertha—for it was she whose tail was beginning to lash those who had taken the option of a late start and a high dossard number—turned out to be a fickle mistress.

   2014, Richard Williams, “RideLondon–Surrey Classic”, in Ian Cleverley, editor, This Island Race: Rouleur’s Year in the British Isles, London: Bloomsbury, →ISBN, page 244

   2 more examples

   [Bernard] Hinault will also be wearing a 51 dossard, the same number with which Luis Ocana, [Bernard] Thevenet, [Eddy] Merckx, and [Jacques] Anquetil pedalled to victory in their first Tour.

   1979, Robin Magowan, Tour de France: The 75th Anniversary Cycle Race, London: S. Paul, →ISBN, page 31

   We were a platoon of nine carrying the hopes of Team Barloworld through this twenty-one stage counterclockwise yomp around France. Me a mongrel with a Kenyan flag on my dossard and a British passport in my bag.

   2014, Chris Froome, with David Walsh, “2008: The Tour de France”, in The Climb, London: Viking, →ISBN, page 148