In cycling, why is the last place in the standings called the red lantern?

To answer that question, let’s compare a peloton to a train: a loco that pulls and catches the wind, wagons that follow and take the suction! There was a time when the last carriage of a train bore a red lantern to mark its end.

That’s how the last place finisher in a cycle race got his name:

the Red Lantern!

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