The light of the lanterne went out yesterday. Kenny Robert Van Hummel crashed and was sent to the hospital with a smashed knee. He was dropped from the peleton almost at the outset and was trying too hard, taking too many chances in a valiant effort trying to regain time to avoid the cutoff. He has the consolation that, although he was the Lanterne Rouge for eleven days, it took an injury to take him out of the Tour. He went out on his bike still in the saddle, rather than having some weasel official stripping the number off his back. In years past it has often been a game with some of the water carriers to see who could be the Lanterne Rouge. Kenny was different. Obviously he did not have the skills to be in the Tour, but he was making the best of his good fortune, trying as hard as he possibly could. It's a shame he couldn't make it to Paris. I salute him for his dogged courage. The new Lanterne is Yauheni Hutarovich. I know nothing about him other than after Kenny he is just another pretender with an unpronounceable name.
Oh... and Alberto Contador is still the Maillot Jaune...really, really in yellow.
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