How I Won the Lanterne Rouge

This is the story about a guy who won a prize most men do not desire to hold. I'm quite certain those who know me looked at the results of the Edgar Soto Memorial Stage Race in the Pro 1/2 field and thought, dang, what happened to him? Well, not to defend myself, but it's a good story that all of us at one time can relate to on some level.

The Lanterne Rouge is the affectionate term used for the rider who finishes in last place of a bicycle race. This term stems from a railroad train which usually is brought up in the rear by a caboose with red tail lights. We've all seen the caboose, which is usually red too, and back in the hey days of the railroad the caboose would be filled with passengers. Well the caboose I was on only carries one rider, me.

There have been some recognizable names to win the lantern rouge in the Tour de France. Jimmy Casper and Jackie Durand are well known riders to have won it in recent years, but they also have each won stages in the Tour. Ah, the ups and down of the lanterne rouge rider are many. Congratulatory back slaps one day and head hanging a few days later. Actually, over the years the last position of a race has garnered a good reputation and recognition as one of prestige. I think it all depends on the attitude of the rider; you either embrace it or run from it. Riders have purposely positioned themselves to either win it or have dropped out of races to avoid it. Personally, I embraced it with open arms.

Taking home the lanterne rouge is not as easy it appears. Seriously, you've got to be good to be that bad. If you actually tried every day to be the last placed timed rider then it's certain you'll make a mistake and miss the time cut. It's a better strategy to just race and let the chips fall where they may. No, you have to be good for 95% of the time, and just a little better than the worst the remaining 5% each day. Reach that fine balance and the lanterne rouge is yours!

In my case it all started with the individual time-trial. I don't have any excuses or reasons for finishing so poorly, but I was way down the list. The Pro 1/2 field started with 96 people and after day one I sat in 87th spot. Again, not the worst, but dang near close. This sets one up from stage one to be vying for the prize. Granted, the TT course doesn't suit a guy like me. The first three miles are gradually uphill and there's a nice hill after the turnaround. For the gravity challenged it essentially ends your hopes of a high finish. When asked by several how I did my response was, "I finished." Enough said.

Stage two saw us tackle the circuit race out in Williamson County. We did six laps of an 11 mile loop, and those who have done it know it's a very demanding course. There isn't one big climb, but a ton of small rollers. Over the course of 66 miles it will take a lot out of you. Don't believe me? Get this, we actually lapped several riders in our field! You expect to lap guys in a criterium, but in a circuit race loop of 11 miles? It should go without saying, but getting lapped on an 11 mile circuit is not a good lanterne rouge strategy. However, hanging on until a few kilometers to go in order avoid the time cut is good strategy.

During stage two I didn't have any trouble at any point in the race until the last few Ks. Often times I'd be middle of the pack, and would only get towards the back after going through the uphill feed zone. One minute you're riding beside the yellow jersey of Trent Wilson and sucking the wheel of Cesar Grajales, and the next minute you're killing it to catch back on after getting a bottle. Here's one of the big differences between a Pro 1/2 race and lesser categories; going up any hill is faster and more difficult. The pace remains constant throughout as guys at the front maintain the momentum. Each time up the feed zone hill the leaders wouldn't necessarily attack as much as they'd just continue drilling it after coming through the fast right hand bender. Thank goodness after every feed you only had to work for 30 seconds to get on the downhill and catch back on. However, these efforts take their toll.

About 6k from the finish I start to feel some cramping in my right inner thigh. For the next 1k I am fighting it off, while at the same time the pace has picked up and we're strung out in a long line. Geesh, not a good combination. There's been a big breakaway off the front all race, but now the pack is wanting to minimize time lost. So the Jittery Joe's boys are keeping the pace up and the cumulative effect of the course is catching up to me. We go up another short hill and I'm having to go anaerobic to hold the wheel in front of me while not letting the cramp seize up. Sadly I couldn't recover quick enough to hang on to the last wheel as myself and several others got popped off the back with 5k to go.

I actually took some comfort in knowing I had such a short distance to go before the finish line. I ended up only losing about two minutes on the main pack in those last 5k, but the breakaway was several more minutes ahead of the pack. I wanted badly to be able to finish with the pack, but I simply couldn't do it. Afterwards I was in a bit of a daze and just sat motionless on the back of a teammates car. Gatorade, water, chocolate milk, you name it and I drank it. It took awhile for me to get going to load up and leave. One minute you're racing along and flying, and the next minute the "check engine" light goes off! That light has a lingering affect let me tell you. Oh well, tomorrow is the crit and I enjoy going fast.

So after two stages I'm still not the worst, but I'm way down the list. After two days of racing we've already lost 13 guys, down to 83, but I moved up to 68th spot. Ok, I've got some room to move up! If there's one thing you don't want to do it's to take the lanterne rouge too early. Some guys like seizing the lanterne early and defending it, but I think that's wasted energy. Let everyone else handle the responsibility and then snatch it from them later in the race when they're weaker. My strategy is working baby!

So on to stage three and the criterium in downtown Nashville. Talk about a lot of fun! Those who know me know that I love racing criteriums. Going fast and sprinting are the most fun things to do in bike racing I think. The Pro 1/2 crit is 75 minutes long, and it's those last 15 minutes that will knock your legs and lungs silly. Fortunately I had great positioning from the very start. I was on the front row sitting next to Kent Bostick, which is usually a good spot to be no matter what point in the race you are. Starting at the front is going to save me a lot of energy in the first 10 minutes.

As most crits go this one was pretty fast, and I'm sure a lot of fun for the spectators. Immediately Cesar Grajales of Jittery Joe's and Karl Menzies of Health Net form a breakaway and lap the field in record time. When you've got a long snake of riders like we had it doesn't take long for a breakaway to catch the tail end of the pack. They still would have lapped the field regardless, but it helped to have a large field on a course that's less than one mile long.

My goal today was to simply finish with the main group. I felt pretty confident that I wouldn't have trouble and get dropped or lapped. I've done a handful of high level crits with some professionals, but not one with several pro teams with depth. The cool part throughout the whole race is that I keep hearing my name called all over the course. I heard it at the start/finish line, on Church Street, on First Avenue, all over. Every time it was the same thing with the same names being yelled by the same people. It's good motivation!

With seven laps to go things began to heat up and get faster. The pace went up a few notches and that's when gaps started happening left and right towards the back. When you're racing in high level crit each lap around can whittle the pack down as riders fall off the pace. Towards the end of a crit this is even more true, but it becomes more difficult to bridge gaps that are created. As a racer you are banking on the guy in front of you holding the wheel in front of him and on and on. If one weak link in that chain breaks then everybody behind suffers and burns a match. Well my matches got burned up with five laps to go. Myself and a handful of others couldn't bridge anymore gaps and we were popped.

I ended up riding solo the last five laps trying to catch three familiar friends two seconds ahead of me. I kept them just ahead but was never able to catch them. I managed to finish off the remaining laps off the pace, but at least I came close and know where I stand from an ability standpoint. The crit and circuit race have given me a good idea of my abilities despite less than desirable outcomes. At the end of the crit I actually moved up a few spots to 66th overall on GC. After three stages, over four total hours of racing, and going into the fourth and final stage I'm thinking it's going to be a respectable finish for me. Oh, little do I know what tomorrow holds.

The fourth and final stage starts and ends in Spencer, TN. There isn't much to see in Spencer other than nearby Fall Creek Falls, but that's ok since they've got great roads and a fantastic 3.5 mile climb at the end. The Pro 1/2 race was 109 miles long and included doing the finishing climb twice. Great, Mr. Gravity Challenged is going to love doing that climb in his 39/25! I made sure to have a huge dinner the night before and opted for a small breakfast before the 9:00 AM race time. I actually felt pretty good and wasn't suffering from fatigue, but I knew the first time up the climb would likely result in me getting dropped. That's not negative thinking but just knowing reality will come knocking.

The road race stays pretty tame but consistently steady all race. A breakaway of eight or nine guys go up the road and gain six minutes pretty quick. It didn't contain any of the leaders, but Jittery Joe's and Health Net never were worried one bit. Each time the motorcycle official gave us time splits it didn't send the pace up, which told me the boys knew exactly what they were doing by being patient. We roll along and I'm thinking, heck yeah, I'm going to make it with no problems to first big climb. That would be around the 75 mile mark and I'd hopefully have some fellow stragglers to finish off the last 30 or so miles with. Little did I know what lay ahead.

The feed zones in a long race like this are critical. You must get your feeds with water and food or you'll simply not finish. I knew the mile markers of each one so I had planned all my drinking and eating to be done as we approached them. I'd take on one or two new ones to ensure I'm downing enough liquid. At approximately mile 70 another feed is coming up just before the big climb. I'm totally out of liquid and had to have one or miss it until after the next feed after the climb.

As I'm approaching the feed zone I make my way to the right hand side along the white line. It's important to not cut anyone off and watch out for the riders and feeders around you. Early through the long line I don't see my feeder yet, but I'm going slowly enough to not panic. Then all of a sudden "bam!", a guy from my left comes into me and knocks me down! Evidently he saw his feeder just ahead of me to my right and just blindly rode straight towards them. All I heard him say was "dude", and I'm thinking, "yeah, dude is right!" I did my best to avoid going down, but just as I put my foot down there was a construction barrel on my right that he knocked me into that got me. I hit that and fell over as the pack is continuing to motor along.

I hurriedly get up and yell for my feeder to bring some bottles. I hop back on the bike and try to take off. Nope, my chain is off! I jump off and get help with the chain and then get back on to chase. I get a great push off and off I go, but the pack isn't slowing down a bit. I chased my butt off for several miles (even had help motorpacing from one car), but it simply wasn't meant for me to catch them. So after 70 miles I was alone with another 40 more miles and two times up the 3.5 mile climb left to go.

Not once did I think of quitting. Seriously, it never did cross my mind. I only thought that I'm finishing this race no matter what. Had I really considered how much farther I had to go alone then I may have bagged it, but quitting races isn't something I've made a habit of. Now isn't the time to start. Off I go knowing that I'm going to lose serious time today, and my only goal is to finish and be with the 25% time cut. A lot goes through your mind when you're racing (riding!) like this. You keep looking ahead thinking you'll catch somebody dropped off the back, and I did, but he quit just after the big climb. For the next few hours that hope still remained, but I didn't catch anyone else.

Other thoughts that crossed my mind was, what do I do if I have a flat? If I had flatted then I'd be screwed since all the support was up the road. Fortunately it wasn't a terribly hot day, so the heat wasn't so much a factor. I did get the chance to check out the scenery more, and I'll say it's beautiful riding in the area. At one point I saw a handful of cows staying cool in a small pond, and later a beautiful stream going along side the road. Each time I thought of jumping in, cooling off, and getting all the dried salty sweat off me. I chose to pedal onward.

I rolled through two more feed zones and each time everybody knew I was the last guy. While I was grateful for their help I felt bad having kept people out there for so long. However, finishing the race was all that really mattered to me. To tell the truth, as I was riding I didn't think about the lanterne rouge. I knew I'd be dead last on the day for sure, but I wasn't certain if someone ahead had already done more poorly than I had previously. In other words, I didn't just ride easy to finish, but rather I at least put out as much power as I could.

Although, let me put the race into perspective. The first 2hr45min I was with the main pack for approximately 70 miles. For the remaining 40 miles it took me 2hr45 to complete. In other words, riding with the pack in the first half the time I covered 70 miles while only covering 40 miles in the last half. Granted, the last half had over seven miles of climbing, but think about the difference in racing alone versus staying with the group.

Needless to say none of this bothered me at the time and still doesn't. I rolled across the line in 5hr29min, some 46 minutes down on the winner Frank Pipp of Health Net. This effort put me in the opposite end of pole position, over 56 minutes down overall, the 63rd and final spot on GC, the lanterne rouge for the 2007 Edgar Soto Memorial Stage Race!

My winning margin was five minutes over my next lanterne competitor. Obviously his strategies were flawed, but congratulations out to him nonetheless. So while on the one hand it's disappointing to have a feed zone crash to effectively end my race it's still very rewarding to have accomplished a finish. I remind myself there were 33 other guys that for whatever reason did not finish the race.

After the final stage we went out with the winning team of Jittery Joe's for a couple of celebratory beverages. It was myself, my girlfriend and fabulous registration director, Trent Wilson, Jeff Hopkins, Thomas Fields and the overall yellow jersey winner Neil Shirley. I shared my story with them and they couldn't believe I finished the race in that manner. There you had a great Kodak moment sitting together; the Yellow Jersey and the Lantern Rouge celebrating our victories. Talk about mixed company!

As for Jittery Joe's, what a great bunch of guys they are and very deserving all their success. Congratulations to Neil and the boys for such a well deserved victory. I posted a lot of pictures yesterday on my main site, so check out the racing action and note the huge smile on Neil's face with the podium girls.

I will go ahead and say it now; I will be back in 2008, but I will not be seeking to defend the lanterne rouge! It's a wonderful race and one that I hope continues to grow. Every rider will have experienced racing at its highest level, and I'm sure there are countless stories out there like mine. Congratulations to all finishers with a special thanks to the promoters for their hard work and success of the event. Awesome event guys!