Lanterne rouge

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Wim Vansevenant, record holder of the red lantern

The lanterne rouge ( French for red lantern ) is an unofficial award for the last-placed driver in the overall ranking of the Tour de France . The name is derived from the red taillights on the last wagon of a train, which used to serve as the end of the train signal .

General

The red lantern is very popular as the last-placed driver who reaches the finish in Paris receives special attention. In contrast to the drivers, the bearer of the red lantern will not be forgotten in the midfield positions. So there were already real battles over the red lantern.

The battle for the red lantern requires some tactical skill, because the driver who wants to get it is walking a fine line. He has to finish with the last group , if possible , but at the same time be careful that he does not exceed the waiting period , as the tour is then over for him. This is a challenge, especially in the time trial , because the last-placed driver on the tour has to start first and therefore does not know any intermediate times of the other drivers.

During the final stage to Paris , the last placed in the overall ranking likes to wear a little red light on his bike as a little gag.

statistics

The record “winner” of the red lantern is Belgian Wim Vansevenant , who has already achieved this feat three times ( 2006 , 2007 and 2008 ). He is followed with two red lanterns of the Belgians Daniel Masson ( 1922 / 1923 ), the Austrian Gerhard Schönbacher ( 1979 / 1980 ), the Dutchman Mathieu Hermans ( 1987 / 1989 ) and Frenchman Jimmy Casper ( 2001 / 2004 ).

German racing cyclists received the Red Lantern twice : Rudolf Risch ( 1932 ) and Willy Kutschbach ( 1935 ). In addition, four Swiss people finished the tour last: Pietro Tarchini ( 1947 ), Fritz Zbinden ( 1950 ), Walter Favre ( 1958 ) and Gilbert Glaus ( 1984 ).

All "bearers" of the red lantern

literature

  • Max Leonhard: Lanterne Rouge. The last man in the Tour de France. Osburg Verlag, Hamburg, 2015, ISBN 978-3-95510-113-8

See also

Web links