Baton Roue, also called Bike Fall, is a French four-panel webcomic image macro by illustrator Corentin Penloup showing a cyclist who jams a stick into his own front wheel and wipes out. Editors relabel the rider, the stick, and the crash with different figures to depict self-inflicted failure.
Origin
Corentin Penloup is a French illustrator who works in film animation in Paris[1]. He first posted the "Baton Roue" comic to his personal art blog on January 23, 2011, and the strip sat quietly for more than a year before Redditor muthafuckenbeetroots reposted it to r/funny on October 16, 2012, where it pulled in over 1,500 upvotes[2].
- Platform: Personal art blog (source) / Reddit and Tumblr (viral spread)
- Creator: Corentin Penloup
- Date: 2011
Overview
"Baton Roue," French for "wheel stick," is an image macro built from a four-panel webcomic by French illustrator Corentin Penloup[1]. The strip shows a man cycling happily, jamming a stick into his own front spokes, then face-planting on the pavement. Editors relabel the cyclist, the stick, and the crash with different people or ideas to describe a self-inflicted disaster.
The comic is also known as Bike Fall in English-speaking meme circles, where editors often add a fourth panel showing the fallen rider begging for donations[2]. That extra frame turned the format into a jab at grifters and self-serving figures. The four labeled slots give remixers clear places to insert a target, so the template stays useful whenever a public figure appears to author their own downfall.
How It Spread
The English-language breakout came from Tumblr in September 2015, when user lonely-and-the-infinite-sadness posted an edit labeling the cyclist as Donald Trump and the stick as his own comments, racking up over 110,000 notes[2]. From there the template moved into political forums, with a version targeting Anita Sarkeesian showing up in gamer threads during Gamergate and another version featuring a Greek flag surfacing during the mid-2010s European debt crisis.
Penloup addressed the meme's afterlife in a 2018 interview with Design Viral, saying he found it "hyper cool" that strangers had loaded political meanings onto his drawing that he never intended[1].
How to Use
People typically start with Penloup's original four-panel strip[1] and add short text labels: one on the cyclist for the person being mocked, one on the stick for the self-inflicted mistake or opinion, and one on the fallen rider for the consequence. Some versions extend the comic with a fifth panel where the crashed cyclist asks for donations, turning the joke into a shot at perceived grifters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Baton Roue?
Baton Roue is a four-panel webcomic by French illustrator Corentin Penloup that became a widely edited image macro about self-sabotage, showing a cyclist who crashes after jamming a stick into his own front wheel[1].
Where did Baton Roue come from?
French illustrator and Paris-based animator Corentin Penloup drew the comic and posted it to his personal art blog in 2011, and English-speaking users later spread it through Reddit and Tumblr[1].
What does Baton Roue mean?
The French name refers to the stick that gets jammed into the bicycle wheel in Penloup's original strip, which is what causes the rider's crash[1].
How do you use Baton Roue?
People usually edit Penloup's four panels by labeling the cyclist, the stick, and the crash with different subjects so that the fall reads as a self-inflicted failure[1].
Is Baton Roue still popular?
Baton Roue peaked in the mid-2010s during political meme waves, and by Penloup's 2018 Design Viral interview people were still producing new edits, including later anti-meme versions where the rider is fully aware of what he is doing[1].
