In the Tour de France the rider who finishes last, rather than dropping out along the way, is accorded a distinction. Riders may compete to come last rather than just near the back. Often the rider who comes last is remembered, while those a few places ahead are forgotten. The revenue the last rider will generate from later appearance fees can be greater than had he finished second to last, although this was more true when riders still made much of their income from post-Tour criteriums.Makes you wonder what is likely happening to the last few riders at the finish line. If you are in the bottom decile of the race, aren't you faced with incentives to try to then lose? So do we see those last riders pausing, stopping or doing anything that might suggest they're purposefully trying to come in last? Maybe some of the cyclists reading have an opinion?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Lanterne Rouge Incentives
Kottke links to the lanterne rouge, which is the last place finish in the Tour de France. It is not easy to finish last in the Tour de France, because approximately 20% of the cyclists who start the race are disqualified or quit for various reasons along the race. Still, this indicates it is the case that there are significant incentives to finishing last.
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This is tough to do. First of all, you have to finish within a specified percentage of the winning rider's time in order to not be disqualified at the end of each stage, so you can't just sit down on the road and wait for the other riders to finish. You don't want to be the idiot who tried to get the lanterne rouge and missed the time cut for the day. Also, riders are employed for the benefit of their team leader, so in order to compete for it, you have to be able to ride at the back of the peloton and still do your job, which may be pacemaking early in the stage or any other support function for the sake of the team leader. Finally, you pretty much have to be at the end of your career, because while you may make money on appearances after the race, you are much more concerned about your marketability to your or other teams, which is increasing in your performance in the Tour. With so much sponsor turnover, riders have to be prepared to find a new contract at the end of every season. If you're young, speed is what you want on your resume, not notoriety.
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