Stage 7 of the Tour was scene of some beautiful images today, with local rider Julien Bernard being loudly encouraged by family, friends and fans on his home roads and even stopped for a moment during the stage to kiss his wife and child.
However, the race jury wasn’t impressed by the outpouring of emotion in the middle of the road and the French rider was sanctioned for “unseemly or inappropriate behaviour during the race and damage to the image of the sport”.
This is what the Tour is all about 💛
Julien Bernard of Lidl – Trek enjoys this special moment during stage 7 with his family #TDF2024🎥ASO pic.twitter.com/Bbnw6xy3ef
— Velo (@velovelovelo__) July 5, 2024
“Sorry UCI for having damaged the image of the sport. But I am willing to pay 200CHF everyday and relive this moment”, wrote Bernard on X.
“I had been waiting for it for months,” the LIDL-Trek rider said after the stage. “In modern cycling, it’s not easy to stop and see your family, but here, with a time trial, it was perfect, because I could take time to savour it. And I savoured it.
“[Stopping to see my wife] is a moment that will only happen once in my life, so I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. She’s the one who organised everything. We have to thank her for that.”
