Man invades finish line at Tour de France, taken out by police

In the rain of Valence on Wednesday afternoon, a member of the public attempted to cycle across the finish line of stage 17 of the Tour de France, possibly as a stunt.

The man, dressed in a Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale jersey, got as far as the line before he was taken out by a member of the Compagnies Republicaines de Securite (CRS), essentially French riot police.

It is the second time in a week that the race has faced people getting on the finish of the race course, after a pro-Palestine protestor jumped onto the road near the finish line in Toulouse on stage 11.

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However, unlike last week, it is not clear what the man’s motives were on Wednesday, or how he got on the course, which is lined with barriers for the final few kilometres, closely watched by both private security and local police.

The incident was not shown on television, but was captured by photographers lined up ready to capture Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) winning the bunch sprint.

According to local French media, a 31-year-old man from Montélimar, to the south of Valence, was arrested for his actions, which came as the bunch was less than 2km from the finish.

After being brought to the ground by the member of the CRS, the man was bundled off the road, seemingly hurt in the incident. The Tour’s organisers, ASO, did not comment on the incident.

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(Image credit: SWpix.com/Zac Williams)