On our trip to Paris, my wife and I, in need of culture, rode the Vélib bikes to Cycles Laurent. This was our first French bike shop visit and excitement was high as we navigated our helmetless headed way through the city traffic.
The shop is a classic; it’s crammed with bikes and clothes. There is no room to move. My wife immediately dove into the sales bin and came up smiling with a Pinarello maglia nera jersey in her size. What is the maglia nera jersey? It’s the lantern rouge of the Giro. For a brief period it was an officially awarded jersey, which led to riders hiding in bars and behind hedges to finish last. Giovanni Pinarello was awarded it in 1951 and here it was reissued. Maybe Giovanni was hiding in bars or maybe he was just hanging on like grim death on every stage and barely made it to Milan. Giovanni Pinarello was the last official owner of the jersey. Riders and fans alike disapproved of a contest for last place and 1951 was the final year of the maglia nera. Since then, riders don’t try to finish last but they do try to finish.
When asked by Cycle Sport magazine what he would like his epitaph to be, he said “Here lies Eros Poli, famous for being tall and coming last in the Giro d’Italia”. -wikipedia
This is a man who won an Olympic gold medal, a most incredible climber’s stage in the Tour de France, and an amateur TTT world championship.
Unless one is actively hiding in bars and riding with a calculator to always finish within thirty seconds of each days time limit, finishing last means one is barely finishing each mountain stage, tailed off the grupetto, fighting to beat the time limit, on more than a few days.
When is finishing the Giro last not an embarrassment? I would say every time. There is a select subset of humans that could ride the Giro at the speeds it is ridden and finish it. Nearly every day a rider climbs into the team car, most likely in tears, exhausted, ruined, crushed. Their number comes off their jersey, it is reported to the commissar and that rider cannot start the next day. But there also must always be a rider who just barely makes it to the finish during those mountain stages, in tears, exhausted, crushed and is back out there the next day. To finish in Milan, even in last place must be infinitely better than not finishing.
Finishing any event last is always better than not finishing.
If I was awarded that jersey, I’d wear that into every bar and restaurant for the rest of my natural life. That’s right fools, I finished the Giro, d’Italia, we covered 3500 km at an average of 37 km per hour. I’ll take my free vino rosso right over there, grazie.
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@ChrisO The truth is that we, or I am, mixing amateur and pro. Finishing last in a grand tour is not the same as in an amateur one day or even stage race. Jacky Durand's story in that race must be epic, we can all imagine what he did to gain both titles. The fall from the top to the bottom is as good a story as the opposite. Also to be so close to being out but hanging on by a hair, again I expect we can all get behind that story from personal experience.
If I remember the cash for the tour lantern rouge could actually be quite respectable so that in the days of shit pay it might make your season.
@Nate Cheers!
@Rob Leave it to me to take a post too seriously. I'm probably also preparing myself mentally for my likely back-of-the-pack finishes in upcoming events.
@Nate
A-Merckx. There are many examples of celebrating the last place finish for that very reason. The last place graduate at West Point is known as the "goat" and collects $1 from each of his fellow graduating cadets. Two notable examples - George Pickett and George Custer - well, they ended up last in a couple of ways, I guess! In any event, if it is worth entering, it is worth finishing regardless of the time, energy, effort or ranking. Just do your best and make sure it is good enough. My early departure from the SF ride was a fail.................
@HMBSteve Does West Point really like having these two brought up? @Buck Rogers a little help here?? It's not Gianni's fault but this is where I was afraid this post would go... I think he was just talking about a cool looking jersey that signified that the wearer finished and could have free beers for life, not that he was last.*
@andrew I am usually too cute trying to be funny posting here. Also I tend to think that all this chit chat is just that and if we ALL were out riding as a group there would not be any need for it.*
but your second sentence worries me... You are already preparing for defeat? If bike racing was sword fighting you have already lost (Miayamato Musashi). If you need to train harder, do, if you go in a race expect to win and try as hard as you are able then the result will be a win no matter what.*
* having fun! don't take me too seriously alert
@Rob
This I like, fun or no.
@Buck Rogers
I am indeed flattered.
@Rob
One, it is a bad ass jersey and retro looking and I informed her as to what it meant, I think. I believe it is her #1 jersey, after the V-kit, of course. I was bummed there was nothing in my size.
The Eros Poli quote is what made me want to write about this; that he would mention finishing last in the Giro despite his palmares. I assumed he was embarrassed.
Here is what the Pinarello reissue looks like.
Good timing as well! I just mailed a buddy two jerseys I don't wear much any longer. He's a commuter, but doing more and more long riding on the weekends in the Seaddle area. One of the jerseys was...a colorful Pinarello jersey!
And, I was watching the Giro today and ruing that I didn't find cycling when I was younger, or live in a place with teams/clubs readily available. I think I would have rode myself into a pretty darn good domestique! Played a lot of team sports and never the most naturally talented, but I did a lot of dirty work in practice and games to get the job done.
@Ron
Yes, especially gardening work, too easy to injure oneself. Better to help after a ride when the mind is dull. Then gardening is almost interesting.
@andrew
"Rejoice in thy suffering, knowing that tribulation builds patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope."
@seemunkee
There must be other great shops but this one is pretty great, old school, not a giant showroom, lots of bike stuff, everywhere.