Chaos erupted moments before the sprint finish of stage 17 at the 2025 Tour de France in Valence when a rogue intruder tried to hijack the race’s climax.
A 31-year-old man from Montélimar, decked out in a Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale jersey and pedaling a bicycle, vaulted over crowd barriers and charged onto the course, threatening disaster as the peloton barreled toward the line.
Good response by the organization today against the protester who tried to interupt the sprint today being at the finish just one minute before the riders.
No matter for what you protest for, you have no place on the route and no reason to endanger the riders. #TDF2025 pic.twitter.com/BpSX7Dh8aK
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) July 23, 2025
Race official Stephane Boury made a desperate lunge to stop the trespasser but tripped in the attempt. With seconds to spare, a Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS) officer sprang into action, tackling the intruder to the ground in a dramatic takedown caught by photographers but missed by live TV.
The bold move prevented a potential pile-up with the 160.4km stage’s charging sprinters.
Authorities whisked the man away, leaving questions swirling about whether he was pulling a reckless prank or staging a protest. This marks the second security scare in a week, following a protester’s disruption on stage 11 in Toulouse.
