- Julian Alaphilippe apologised to a fan for snatching her sign
- Rider was competing in stage 14 of the famous race
Tour de France rider Julian Alaphilippe has apologised to a stunned fan for snatching her cardboard sign and ripping it up during Stage 14 of the 2025 event on Sunday.
As temperatures plummeted while the field cycled through the Pyrenees mountains, the 33-year-old cyclist turned heads by grabbing a cardboard placard from a fan supporting his rival.
The Frenchman then rode away, ripping the sign into pieces and discarding the bits he didn’t need.
Alaphilippe could then be seen stuffing a piece of cardboard inside his cycling suit to use as insulation in the brutal conditions.
Alaphilippe’s former teammate Zdenek Stybar said, ‘Julian is really suffering from the cold.’
After about 30km more riding, Alaphilippe stopped a camera motorbike and seemed to apologise for the incident before giving back the remains of the sign.
Julian Alaphilippe (pictured leading the pack) snatched a cardboard sign from a fan during Stage 14 of the 2025 Tour de France on Sunday
The two-time world champ later apologised properly to the fan and even gave her a gift.
‘In the end the story ended well, I apologised to the woman whom I took it from,’ he said.
‘I gave her a bib, and she took a picture with Wout [rider Wout van Aert]. In the end, thanks to this, she had a better time compared to what she would have experienced at the top of the Tourmalet.’
Despite the light-hearted moment, Alaphilippe finished in 50th place, with Thymen Arensman claiming the stage win.
It wasn’t the only unusual incident with a fan of Stage 14, with viewers left stunned when a car knocked down a spectator on a mountain road.
The fan had been stood in the road filming cyclists as they went by when the Ineos Grenadiers vehicle hit them, sending them sprawling and their phone flying.
It is unknown what condition the fan is in but the car was travelling at a low speed behind the bikers as they climbed the Col de Peyresourde.
Organisers told Reuters they were not aware of the accident while Ineos Grenadiers were not immediately available for comment.
The Frenchman later caught up with the fan and apologised for taking her sign
The Ineos Grenadiers team is owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United’s minority owner, and was around 200 metres from the summit of the climb at the time of the accident.
It was following Ineos’ Thymen Arensman, with team-mate Carlos Rodriguez leading the chasing group behind him.
Jerome Coppel, an analyst for RMC Sport, said: ‘It’s always very complicated on these passes. There are people on both sides of the road which isn’t very wide.
‘The team directors have to get back up and ensure safety in case the leading rider gets a puncture.
‘They try to get back up and the counter group won’t let them pass. There isn’t enough space and sometimes, unfortunately, we see this kind of thing.
‘The driver risks being penalised. Having been in the car behind the peloton, it’s really complicated when you have to move up the line.’
