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, Lanterne Rouge forces us to re-examine the meaning of success, failure and the very nature of sport.

• Paperback

• 272 pages

• Published by Vintage in 2014

Signed by the author, Isola Press founder Max Leonard.

Of all the many books hoping to catch the Tour de France tide, the most entertaining is Lanterne Rouge, in which Max Leonard explores the history of one of the race's most cherished traditions -- Richard Williams, The Guardian

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

Thoughtful, witty -- Times Literary Supplement