Lanterne Rouge

Max Leonard

Froome, Wiggins, Mercks—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% who don't win the trophy, and forces us to re-examine the meaning of success, failure and the very nature of sport.

Max Leonard is a writer and amateur cyclist.  He has written for Esquire, Monocle, Rouler, Daily Telegraph, Rapha and others and is the author of the City Cycling Europe guides.  He has never knowingly come first—or last—in anything.

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