A Tour de France prankster was halted by a security guard after attempting to cross the finish line ahead of the race leader. The man had been positioned behind barriers on the sidelines before moving his bicycle onto the road and making a dart towards the finish.
The Tour de France began in Lille at the start of July, with 184 riders from 23 teams competing for honours. There are 21 stages of the Tour de France, with the race ultimately coming to an end in Paris on Sunday. Slovenian star Tadej Pogacar is currently leading the overall standings, with Danish ace Jonas Vingegaard hot on his heels.
As stage 17 of the race was coming to an end on Wednesday, the prankster – who was dressed in full cycling gear – hopped over the barriers as bemused spectators looked on.
And as he rode towards the finish line, one security guard slapped his back hard in an effort to stop him.
A second security guard then barged him off his bike as the prankster fell hard and remained on the ground before being removed from the road.
The incident wasn’t initially captured by television cameras, but footage was later posted to social media.
The prankster is believed to be a 31-year-old man from Montelimar, who had taken to social media moments before his stunt to inform his followers of his plans.
Referring to the race leader, he explained in French: “He thinks he’s the one who’s going to cross the finish line first. He doesn’t know that there’s a guy with a bike just behind a barrier who’s going to win the race. I’m going to win the race.”
The 17th stage of the Tour de France was eventually won by UCI WorldTeam Lidl–Trek rider Jonathan Milan. And following his victory, the 24-year-old said: “I’m really happy, without words, I have to say.
“Today was a really tough stage. We controlled it from the beginning, with the help of some other teams, and then it was a difficult final because of the weather, to bring it through the roundabouts in first position.
“There are still some tough days awaiting us but for the moment we can have a lot of fun. I’m happy the way it’s going. We will keep fighting for intermediates and then for the last day for the stage. Today we have a bit more distance for the points. I’m a bit more relaxed, but I will keep fighting.”
