Cyclist penalized for halting Tour de France to kiss wife
What's the story
French cyclist Julien Bernard was fined after he paused during a stage of the Tour de France to kiss his wife. The incident occurred on Stage 7 of the race, which covered 25.3km from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), cycling's governing body, fined him for "unseemly or inappropriate behavior during the race and damage to the image of the sport." Despite this, Bernard finished 61st on the stage, lagging 3:11 behind stage winner Remco Evenepoel.
Twitter Post
Here is a video of the incident
This is what the Tour is all about 💛
— Velo (@velovelovelo__) July 5, 2024
Julien Bernard of Lidl - Trek enjoys this special moment during stage 7 with his family #TDF2024
🎥ASO pic.twitter.com/Bbnw6xy3ef
Public response
Bernard playfully apologized, defended his actions on social media
Bernard was reportedly fined 200 Swiss francs ($223). He then offered a humorous apology on X. He posted, "I'm sorry for having damaged the image of the sport," accompanied by a grimacing emoji. "But I would pay 200 CHF ($220) every day to relive this moment." In a conversation with the local newspaper Le Bien Public, Bernard defended his actions, stating that he had been anticipating this moment since the route was announced the previous October.
Bernard's justification
'Best moment of my career'
He told the publication, "This kind of moment comes once in a lifetime and never mind if they fined me." "My wife organized for everyone to come and see me at that point of the race and I wanted to show my gratitude and thank her for that." "I'm not taking any risks in saying that it was the best moment of my career, the second best moment of my life after the birth of my son."
Community response
Cycling community reacted differently to Bernard's actions
The incident elicited diverse reactions within the cycling community. Danish cyclist Magnus Cort replied to Bernard's post on X with a video of himself kissing his wife by the roadside, humorously remarking, "What a joke. I guess I was lucky when they missed me a couple of days ago." Conversely, former US cyclist Lance Armstrong expressed his disapproval on Instagram, commenting, "Oh no, he's straight up stopped," and added, "Oh no, no, no."