Stage 17 of the 2025 Tour de France was marred by a reckless
act just moments before the sprint finish in Valence. A man tried to ride
across the finish line only minutes before the peloton arrived, in wet and
slippery conditions that made the situation even more hazardous. The stage was
won by Jonathan Milan, but attention quickly turned to the alarming breach of
security.
Had it not been for the rapid response from police stationed
at the finish, the outcome could have been far worse. Officers tackled the
intruder to the ground, preventing any interference with the sprint finish or
potential harm to the riders. AFP confirmed that the man was arrested on
Wednesday and taken into custody.
Prosecutor Laurent de Caigny said the man was charged with
“entering a sports competition area and disrupting the competition, refusing to
comply and assaulting a person in a position of public authority.” He has
been ordered to pay €500 in damages to the police officer who subdued him and
received a suspended sentence. In addition, he’s been banned from attending any
sports venue for the next five years. The prosecutor also revealed that the
individual had previously been convicted three times.
This wasn’t the only disruption seen at this year’s race.
Earlier, during Stage 11 in Toulouse, another person ran onto the course near
the finish line wearing a protest shirt. While the Tour de France is no
stranger to crowd incidents, this year’s race has been particularly affected by
politically charged disruptions and lapses in security.