Lanterne Rouge: The Last Man in the Tour de France

Written by Max Leonard

Narrated by Andrew Fallaize

A lively and entertaining history of the riders who have come in last place during the grueling 3,000-mile Tour de France

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 accidentally slowed him down, and the rider who was recognized as the most combative despite finishing at the back.

Max Leonard flips the Tour de France on its head and examines what these stories tell us about ourselves, the 99 percent who don’t win the trophy, and forces us to reexamine the meaning of success, failure, and the very nature of sport.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
• Release date: May 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982586645

Max Leonard

Max Leonard is the author of Lanterne Rouge and amateur cyclist. He has written for Esquire, Monocle, Rouler, Daily Telegraph, Rapha and more. He lives in London.

Reviews for Lanterne Rouge

[jon1lambert · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An enjoyable read, explaining and charting the role and experiences of the 'lanterne rouge' the person who comes last in the Tour de France. It is quite difficult to achieve this lucrative award because of the risk of elimination of the cyclist if he falls too far behind. There is a list of all the last placers from 1903 to 2013.Somehow Wim Vansevenant achieved it 3 times in a row, 2006-2008.

[brentonlamar-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I am an avid cyclist, and a huge supporter of the sport. However, reading these types of books generally aren't enjoyable for me personally. I have completed approximately five chapters, and I have learned quite a bit about the Tour de France that I didn't know previously, but I cannot try to complete this book.

That being said, the prose is great, and the description and research is phenomenal. The only reason I have given this a lower rating is due to the fact that I was looking for something a bit different, but I sadly did not find that in this particular book. I definitely recommend checking this out from your local library, though, and seeing what you think of it.

[helenliz_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent cycling book by Yellow Jersey Press. I'm not a great cycling fan, but I do make the time to watch the Tour de France every year. It started the year I was made redundant and had a month between jobs, what to do but watch the TV and the tour was on. The scenery, the action, the fabulous commentary (ranging from the deep to the banal) all caught my imagination. So whileI wouldn;t not say I'm a fan of cycling, I do like the tour. And having recently read a book about an individual in the tour, this book looks at those that occupy that famed last spot. The Lanterne Rouge is the red light, supposed to represent the tail light of a train, and is the unofficial title awarded to the last finisher on the tour. This book goes in search of them and their stories. They are a mixed selection of characters, as are the ways that they acquired the title. In the main they come across as possibly more human and understandable than the front of the peleton. You clearly meet a nice class of person at the back of the grid goes the motor racing phrase, this seems to be the cycling equivalent. Never taking itself too seriously, this looks at the many different people to have held this and what they contribute. It's a fun read.