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It's a fair question...

💛 In 1979, two professional cyclists deliberately rode slower than everyone else at the Tour de France, and one got kicked out for trying too hard to lose.

The Lanterne Rouge. The Red Lantern. It's the title given to the last-place finisher in the Tour de France, named after the red lantern that hung on the final car of a train. And for decades, it's been one of cycling's most beloved paradoxes: a "loser" who becomes a folk hero.

𝗜𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵...

In the late 1970s, finishing dead last wasn't just acceptable. It was profitable.

Austrian rider Gerhard Schönbacher and Frenchman Philippe Tesnière found themselves battling for the bottom of the general classification in 1979. Both knew what awaited the Lanterne Rouge: media attention, appearance fees at post-Tour criteriums, and a kind of celebrity status that mid-pack anonymity could never buy.
So they raced. To be last.

On Stage 21, a 30-mile time trial, Bernard Hinault (the eventual Tour winner) scorched the course in 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 53 seconds. Schönbacher crawled across the line in 1 hour, 21 minutes, and 52 seconds.
Tesnière? He rode even slower. 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 32 seconds.

He miscalculated. His time was over 20% slower than Hinault's, which meant he missed the time cut entirely. He was eliminated from the race, losing his shot at the Lanterne Rouge he'd worked three weeks to secure.
Schönbacher became the 1979 Lanterne Rouge. And the organizers were furious.

The following year, Tour officials introduced a brutal new rule. Between Stages 14 and 20, the last-place rider after each stage would be eliminated. The goal was clear: kill the race to be last.

Schönbacher finished last anyway. Again.

He navigated every elimination stage, somehow surviving the culls designed specifically to stop him. He became a two-time Lanterne Rouge winner under rules explicitly created to prevent such a thing from existing.
It wasn't always about gaming the system, though.

In 1969, Pierre Matignon was sitting in last place when he launched a long-range solo attack on the legendary Puy de Dôme summit. He held off the entire peloton, including the great Eddy Merckx in the yellow jersey, to win one of the Tour's most prestigious mountain stages.

By winning, he lost his last-place status. But he gained something far greater. Immortality.

Fast forward to 2018. American Lawson Craddock crashed horrifically on Stage 1, fracturing his scapula and suffering facial lacerations. He could barely see out of one eye.

He kept riding. For three weeks. Every single day, he was last in the general classification. He became the first rider in Tour history to hold the Lanterne Rouge from start to finish, through sheer grit alone.
His story went viral. He raised over $250,000 for charity. And he reminded the world what the Lanterne Rouge really represents.

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.

The Tour de France is 2,200 miles of suffering across 21 days. Mountains that break your legs. Time trials that shred your lungs. Heat, crashes, and the constant threat of elimination.

Just finishing puts you in the top 0.0001% of cyclists on the planet.

The Lanterne Rouge receives no prize money from the Tour and no podium ceremony. Yet the rider who crosses the line last, whether through misfortune, injury, or sheer perseverance, earns something that lasts far longer: respect, a story worth telling, and a permanent place in the folklore of cycling's most demanding competition.

So the next time you finish a century ride, a gran fondo, or even just your local group ride in last place, remember this.
You finished. And that alone makes you part of a tradition that stretches back over a century, one that honors the stubborn, the resilient, and the riders who refuse to quit.

There's a 2-hour window after every ride that decides your recovery 👇

Or a bit of both?

American cyclist Ezra Caudell, 19, remains hospitalized with "multi-system trauma" after a serious crash at Sunday's Philadelphia Cycling Classic.

The Modern Adventure Pro Cycling rider went down in a collision with Belgium's Milan Menten of Lotto-Intermarché around halfway through the men's race. Caudell was knocked unconscious and both riders were taken to local hospitals, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

His team, founded by former Tour de France stage winner George Hincapie, said Tuesday: "He has an incredible team working diligently and family at his bedside. We are grateful for the thoughts and ongoing outpouring of support." No further details on his injuries or prognosis were shared.

Caudell is one of America's most promising young riders. He was the youngest rider at Paris-Roubaix in April and finished fourth in the under-23 road race at June's US nationals. Sunday's race marked the Philadelphia Classic's return after a decade away.

Wishing this young talent a full recovery.

📸

Nothing kills the flow of a good ride faster than a dropped chain. 📉🔧

Worn parts, hard bumps, and more. We've illustrated the 7 most common causes of a dropped chain.

🚲 🤔

Get this one balance wrong and your legs pay for it all week 👇

📰 Your Zwift hardware isn't just for Zwift anymore.

Rouvy has announced full support for Zwift equipment ahead of the indoor season. Smart trainers with Zwift's Cog and Click now work natively with the platform, complete with virtual shifting and handlebar controls, and the Zwift Ride can double as a full Rouvy setup. From September 9, Rouvy's online shop will even sell a Zwift Ride Rouvy Edition - stickers included.

The update follows Zwift's purchase of Rouvy back in April, though the two platforms keep separate subscriptions. A quarter of EXP points earned on one now transfers to the other.

There's more: TrainerRoad workouts can now run on Rouvy's real-world routes, and new roads in Morocco, India, and Patagonia are on the way, plus pro group rides in October with Wout van Aert and Mads Pedersen.

One winter, two platforms, same trainer. Which would you pick?