In a race of elites like the Tour de France, even the last guys to cross the line each day would kick the asses of the average (and even above-average) cyclist around the world. So while the riders at the top of the GC get all the limelight, it seems only fair that someone notice the folks who bring up the rear. The last guy on GC is known as “The Lanterne Rouge,” and they even have their own blog to honor them. The blog’s tagline is, “Celebrating the last-place rider in the General Classification… Because you couldn’t hang on his wheel for thirty seconds.”

It’s a great blog, one of my favorites during the Tour de France, because it’s not tongue-in-cheek - the blog’s author, Nancy, actually does honor The Lanterne Rouge each day. She’s also got other great tidbits about the guys who depart from the race, either by choice or outside forces. For instance, here is a list of the carnage from Sunday’s stage. I agree, that stuff is nigh to impossible to keep up with.

At any rate, the last five riders on GC today are as follows:
167 Anthony Charteau (Fra) Crédit Agricole 1.41.46
168 Leif Hoste (Bel) Predictor - Lotto 1.41.55
169 Aleksandr Kuchynski (Blr) Liquigas 1.42.23
170 David Zabriskie (USA) Team CSC 1.42.49
171 Wim Vansevenant (Bel) Predictor - Lotto 1.45.23

Check out Nancy’s post today to find out more about them, and check back each day to find out who The Lanterne Rouge is from now until the end of the Tour. It’s good fun, and these guys deserve the kudos.