A French police officer tackled a spectator who tried to ride across the finish line of yesterday’s stage 17 of the Tour de France.
Wearing a Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale jersey, the individual climbed over the barriers of the stage finish approximately one minute before the peloton was due to arrive.
A Tour de France official tried to intervene, but witnesses reported that an officer from Compagnies Republicaines de Securite (CRS), a specialised unit within the French National Police, tackled the intruder once he crossed the line.
The police officer then helped remove the person from the course before Jonathan Milan sprinted to win the stage in Valence.
A 31-year-old from Montélimer, south of Valence, was arrested and taken into police custody, according to French media.
The incident wasn’t shown on TV, but was captured by photographers at the finish line.
This is the second time in a week that the Tour de France has had people getting onto the course at the finish of a stage. A pro-Palestine protester jumped onto the road near the finish line of stage 11 in Toulouse.
One TikTok video shows the intruder climb over the barriers and begin cycling towards the line. The video has text which says: “When your friend thinks he's Pogi [Tadej Pogačar] and goes to win the stage.”
@brandou26ii Quand @Les galères de soso se prend pour pogi #pogi #tourdefrance #velo ♬ son original - Eurosport France
