Raise la lanterne rouge

Date:	July 24, 2006 / year-entry #247
Tags:	non-computer
Orig Link:	https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20060724-21/?p=30393
Comments:	6
Summary:	Sure, everybody knows that Floyd Landis won this year's Tour de France. But what about the guy who came in last? While the race leader wears the maillot jaune (yellow jersey), the person at the bottom of the pack is saddled with the lanterne rouge (red lantern), after the lamp that hangs on the back...

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KristofU says:

July 24, 2006 at 11:10 am

Wim Vansevenant actually competed with the french rider Jimmy Casper in the last time trial to ride as slowly as possible, and yet finish in time.

Being the red lantern at least gets you some publicity. You are invited to post-tour criteria etc…

::wendy:: says:

July 24, 2006 at 2:33 pm

is this a deliberate reference to the excellent 1991 film of the same name ‘Raise the red Lantern" where getting the red lantern has a VERY different meaning http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101640/

J. Daniel Smith says:

July 24, 2006 at 3:26 pm

http://www.mcwetboy.net/dfl/ tracks last place finishes in the Olympics. "Because they’re there and you’re not"

Vijay says:

July 24, 2006 at 6:46 pm

Seems a tough act to follow :)

Ryan Daniels says:

July 25, 2006 at 5:33 pm

Railroads in the USA stopped using the veneral caboose in favor of a a bright flashing light called a FRED. Railroads officially expand that acronym as "Flashing Rear End Device," while their employees often substitute a different word for the "F." "La lanterne rouge" has a more classy sound, but we could say FRED faster and attach one more quickly. Same negative connotations, of course.

GregM says:

July 25, 2006 at 10:17 pm

I’ve never heard the "FRED" name before, I always heard them called EOT devices or markers (End Of Train).

http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=220

Just as cabooses were variously called hacks, crummies, cabins, etc., end-of-train devices go by a variety of names. Besides ETD, there’s EOT, marker, FRED or Freddy (flashing rear-end device), even Billy and Redman.