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Sign up todayLanterne Rouge
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Learn moreA 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.
Max Leonard is the author of Lanterne Rouge and an amateur cyclist. He has written for Esquire, Monocle, Rouler, the London Daily Telegraph, and more.
Andrew Fallaize is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.
Reviews
“A meticulously researched history chock-full of names and race information.”
“Rich with stories. A lively and engaging book that offers a valuable lesson: A lanterne rouge may finish last, but at least he stayed in the race.”
“This is not the world of Armstrong, Keane, or Pietersen and it is all the more appealing because of that.”
“A lively account. It’s not easy to come up with an original angle on Le Tour, but with this rear view Leonard has managed the feat in style.”
“It’s not easy to come up with an original angle on Le Tour, but with this rear view Leonard has managed the feat in style.”
“A fascinating account that focuses on the many stories, both real and mythical…Captivating, thoroughly researched, and well-written.”
“Max Leonard demonstrates that perhaps the best way to understand the Tour de France―and, to an extent, cycling as a whole―is to approach it as most of us would on a bike: from well behind…Its heart-on-sleeve moments, which can become syrupy quagmires in lesser reads, hurtle by, driven by Leonard’s relatively lean prose and his obvious personal passion.”
“Demonstrates that perhaps the best way to understand the Tour de France…is to approach it as most of us would on a bike: from well behind.”
“There is much to learn from this book, which will prove amusing for cycling enthusiasts and interesting enough for sports buffs without a clue.”
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