Lanterne Rouge: The Last Man in the Tour de France
Max Leonard
lanterne rouge (French | noun): The competitor who finishes last in the Tour de France
Froome, Wiggins, Merckx – we know the winners of the Tour de France, but what about the men who finish last?
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.
Flipping the Tour de France on its head and examines what these stories tell us about ourselves, the 99% who don’t win the trophy, Lantern Rouge forces us to re-examine the meaning of success, failure and the very nature of sport.
‘A lively account of largely forgotten men... 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’ Independent on Sunday
Product Details
About Max Leonard
Reviews for Lanterne Rouge: The Last Man in the Tour de France
The Washing Machine Post
Don't be surprised if you fall in love with Max Leonard's book. A glorious celebration of coming last.
Brendan Gallagher
thetour.co.uk
Thoughtful, properly researched and consistently entertaining
Tim Moore [A] lively account of largely forgotten men... 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
Simon Redfern
Independent on Sunday
Brilliant... The stories of the lanternes rouges that Leonard picks out have real value, because the race's rear view can tell you much more than the angle we're all familiar with
Michael Hutchinson
Independent
Makes for oddly inspiring reading. There is an art to losing
Jon Day
London Review of Books
An elegant book... Surprising and illuminating
Ian Bell
Herald
This is a valuable book with some great stories. Deeply-researched and well-written, it’s an enjoyable read that shouldn’t be rushed
The Inner Ring
Fascinating… Without losers, there are no winners
London Cyclist
Thoughtful, witty
Times Literary Supplement
In this lively, rear-view account of largely unsung heroes, and a few villains, Leonard has managed the difficult feat of coming up with an original angle on Le Tour
Simon Redfern
Independent on Sunday
Leonard extracts the dignity that sometimes exists in sporting failure; this is not the world of Armstrong, Keane or Pietersen and all the more appealing because of that
Tim Lewis
Observer
Celebratory and hilarious in equal measures, The Last Man revels in the travails of the underdog
Ben East
Metro
This book does a great job of revealing some of the less well known stories from le Tour: well written, entertaining, and informative
Richard Peploe
Road
This book is an entertaining account taking in everyone from stage winners and former yellow jerseys who couldn’t hang on, to a breakaway leader who stopped for a bottle of wine and then took a wrong turn, to a doper whose drug cocktail backfired
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