Schönbacher was a professional cyclist for nine seasons, and rode the UCI World Championships seven times,[1] but is mainly known for finishing last in the Tour de France in two consecutive years.
Schönbacher lost a lot of time in the mountains, and after the 20th stage, he only had Philippe Tesnière behind him in the general classification.
[4] In the final stage, the riders traditionally keep a slow pace, because the winner is already known, but in 1979 this was not the case, and Bernard Hinault and Joop Zoetemelk were still battling for the overall victory.
[6] Before the Tour, Schönbacher was promised by his sponsor that he would receive extra money if he finished in last place.
[8] Schönbacher found a new team, Puch, and rode the 1981 Tour de France, finishing 112th out of 121 cyclists.