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A very un-British concept I think.

Celebrating the final finisher.

I was first introduced to the concept of the Lanterne Rouge (red lamp) when David and I participated in La Marmotte in 2017.

The last rider in that epic event who is still cycling and makes it to the finish is surrounded by all the race cars and the personnel pipping their horns and flashing their lights to encourage them on their way.

At the time I thought it must seem like an imposition on the person riding but I learnt my lesson pretty quick when I was close to the back in another event the following year.

They do it differently in the Haute Route – in that route the Lanterne Rouge is a rider who wears red. Not just any rider but an extraordinary rider. One who rides at the front for the start of the stage and then drops back to the back of the pack.

In the Haute Route the cut off times are pretty severe and if you’re near the back and getting close to cut off then the Lanterne Rouge jollies you along and brings you forward and keeps you from getting cut off by the broom wagon. It’s an amazing service and an amazing feature and there was a point during the Haute Route first stage in the Dolomites where he walked up to me and said “you need to get a move on, you’re 10 minutes from cut off” (the cut offs were pretty harsh)

At the end of that event the organisers present a full Lanterne Rouge kit to the person who completed the race last as a huge celebration for someone who has overcome their difficulties and got the job done.

What a concept that is.

I will never be the best implant surgeon in the world, I will leave that accolade to others who can fight over it. I will never be the best business owner and never the best teacher. I will never be the best father or the best husband but I will continue to try and get the job done and try and finish the job I’ve started. Not stopping because it gets difficult, not bailing out because there looks to be shiny bright objects or rewards elsewhere.

Without a shadow of a doubt there are things that can derail me from the path I am on – financial ruin and illness are the two main ones.

It will not, though, be to choose an easier path because there are no easier paths.

Life is tough for all of us and as you get older the bumps in the road seem like mountains, but there is no easier path to find, there is no shortcut, the answer does not lie in seeking to find the line of least resistance.

It lies in becoming stronger, it lies in finishing.

I’ll settle for a Lanterne Rouge!

Blog Post Number: 1921