Lanterne Rouge

The last man in the Tour de France

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We know the winners of the Tour de France, but Lanterne Rouge tells the forgotten, often inspirational and occasionally absurd stories of the last-placed rider. We learn of stage winners and former yellow jerseys who tasted life at the other end of the bunch; the breakaway leader who stopped for a bottle of wine and then took a wrong turn; the doper whose drug cocktail accidently slowed him down and the rider who was recognised as the most combative despite finishing at the back.
More Information
Cordee Code: CCY032
Page Size: 129 x 198 mm
No of Pages: 264
Publisher: Yellow Jersey Press
ISBN13: 9780224092005
Author: Max Leonard
Published Date: June 2015
Edition: Paperback ed, June 2015
Binding: Paperback
Illustrations: Colour and b&w photos
Weight: 230g
Product Type: Book
lanterne rouge: French / noun

1. The red lantern that hangs on the rear of a train

2. The competitor who finishes last in the Tour de France



If you complete a bike race of over 3,000 kilometres, overcoming mountain ranges and merciless weather conditions while enduring physical and psychological agony, in the slowest time, should you be branded the loser? What if your loss helped a teammate win? What if others lacked the determination to finish? What if you were trying to come last?

Froome, Wiggins, Merckx - we know the winners of the Tour de France, but Lanterne Rouge tells the forgotten, often inspirational and occasionally absurd stories of the last-placed rider. We learn of stage winners and former yellow jerseys who tasted life at the other end of the bunch; the breakaway leader who stopped for a bottle of wine and then took a wrong turn; the doper whose drug cocktail accidently slowed him down and the rider who was recognised as the most combative despite finishing at the back.


Lanterne Rouge flips the Tour de France on its head and examines what these stories tell us about ourselves, the 99% who don't win the trophy, and forces us to re-examine the meaning of success, failure and the very nature of sport.
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