An amateur cyclist who dangerously tried to cross the finish line of the Tour de France moments before the race leader has been taken into custody after being sent to the floor by a security guard.
The prankster, dressed in full cycling attire, hopped over security barriers and attempted to cross the finish line at the end of stage 17 on Wednesday, before a member of the security team tackled him to the concrete.
In a video published to social media, the individual – who is understood by French media to be a 31-year-old man from Montelimar – explains his bid to hop the fence and finish the race in front of the peloton.
Referring to the race leader, the man tells the camera: ‘He thinks he’s the one who’s going to cross the finish line first, he doesn’t know that there’s a guy with a bike just behind a barrier who’s going to win the race. I’m going to win the race.’
The man was dressed like a professional cyclist, sporting a Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale team jersey and a black helmet on his head.
The video ends with the prankster jumping the barriers and cycling down the track while a sea of spectators watch on, bemused.
An amateur cyclist who dangerously tried to cross the finish line of the Tour de France moments before the peloton has been taken into custody
The prankster attempted to cross the finish line at the end of stage 17 on Wednesday, before a member of the security team tackled him to the concrete
As soon as staff noticed the dangerous track invasion, multiple security guards rushed out towards the finish line to stop him, concerned for the safety of the athletes competing.
Although the incident was not captured initially by television cameras, footage was later released to social media showing the amateur cyclist’s downfall.
As he closes in on the finish line, the man managed to swerve the first security guard, who struck him hard on the back, before being stopped by the second.
The 17th stage of cycling’s most prestigious race was eventually won by Jonathan Milan, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Lidl–Trek.
Slovenian Tadej Pogacar is currently sitting atop the overall leaderboard, with Jonas Vingegaard serving as his closest challenger as the race reaches the French Alps for the first time this year at the 18th stage.
Reacting to the incident on X, formerly Twitter, users were quick to admonish the actions of the protestor.
One user wrote: ‘Hahahah what a loser’.
A second added: ‘Crazy. The race is tough enough without the crazy protestors’.
A further comment read: ‘Absolutely destroyed his shoulder – that’ll never be the same again. And probably deserved it.’
It comes after cycling fans expressed their outrage earlier in the event after seeing the vantage point some spectators took to catch a glimpse of the second stage.
That part of the race culminated in Boulogne-sur-Mer, located in the north of the country around 25 miles south-west of Calais.
The race saw Mathieu van der Poel pip Tadej Pogacar in a sprint finish to give the Dutchman the leader’s yellow jersey.
Given the drama during the race, it appears that some fans were so eager to see it for themselves that they disregarded their surroundings to be able to watch it live.
A clip posted to X, formerly Twitter, shows some fans gathering on the edge of a cemetery to be as near to the action as possible.
That provoked outrage among many cycling fans, who felt the onlookers showed a lack of respect by doing so.
