At Long Last: Markus Eichler Completes Tour of Italy in Last Place

The last placed rider used to get his own black jersey, but these days the maglia nera comes in the form of a black race number and bike plate

Markus Eichler of the Italian Milram squad completed the Giro Saturday more than 4 1/2 hours behind overall winner Alberto Contador. Known as the Maglia Nera, the last place finisher, like the best placed GC, mountian, sprint and young riders, gets his own unique recognition to each day that he is in last place. In previous editions of the Giro, the maglia nera was a black jersey. Today though, it takes the form of a black number and number bike plate, and is used as a means of recognizing those that fight to finish the Giro even though they are wll behind in the classification.

Eichler won the nera going away, finishing a solid 25 minutes behind second to last place Mikhail Ignitiev of the Tinkoff team. And although he finished last, Eichler should be commended for hanging in until the bitter end, and completing the first grand tour of the season. The 26 year old will be able to use his experience in the Giro to build on the rest of his season and career. Plus, he'll be remembered as the nera in future Giro editions.

Eichler shouldn't be confused as a less than accomoplished pro, as the 26 year old has five career victories, including the Ronde van Drenthe in 2006. He'll one day finish much higher in the overall classification of a grand tour, but will always have the memory of his battle in his first try at a grand tour. His effort stands as an example of the spirit of all cyclists: never say die, never give up, and fight to the very end.