French cyclist Julien Bernard learned that France may not quite be the land of l’amour that he thought it was after being hit with a fine at the Tour de France.
Apparently, the Union Cycliste Internationale was unhappy that Bernard took a few seconds out of the seventh stage of the race to give a quick kiss to his wife and son, who had come out to support him as the race traveled through the region he is from.
The UCI deemed the time out “inappropriate behavior” and fined Bernard $223 for “unseemly or inappropriate behavior during the race and damage to the image of sport,” Fox News reported.
Video of the event shows that few in the crowd felt the kiss was in any way “inappropriate” as they cheered Bernard on.
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
For his part, Bernard did not take it all too seriously.
“I’m sorry, UCI, for damaging the image of the sport,” Bernard said in a post on X. “But I’m willing to pay 200 Swiss francs every day and experience this moment again.”
Bernard further explained that his wife had organized a whole day for the cyclist’s supporters in their hometown.
“It was really incredible. My wife has been organizing this with some friends for a few weeks now, and she did a really, really good job,” he explained. “On a time trial, you have time to enjoy yourself. It’s these moments that keep me going and cycling.”
“I knew my wife and my friends did something on the climb, and I was looking forward to seeing them,” Bernard said in a separate interview after the race. “I wanted to enjoy everyone second with my friend and family. It was dream moment for me.”
Bernard’s time of 32:03 was the 61st fastest time on the stage, and Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel eventually won the stage.
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