Action has serious consequences: Dangerous Tour de France disruptor is sentenced

A 30-year-old man caused a stir when he attempted to cross the finish line on his bike during the 17th stage of the Tour de France – just before the professional sprint finish. The dangerous action now has serious consequences for the man.

A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to an eight-month suspended sentence for his unauthorized and dangerous excursion into the finish area of the 17th Tour de France stage. He attempted to cross the finish line in Valence on his bicycle shortly before the sprint finish of the professional cyclists. The intruder was brought down by a police officer. At that point, the peloton was already racing toward the finish at high speed.

Photographs and video footage showed the man being roughly stopped. Initially, one man failed to stop the troublemaker. A police officer then pushed against the intruder, causing both to fall to the ground. The man in the blue cycling jersey was then lying on the ground and was pulled aside. His motives for this action remain unclear.

The man was convicted of "entering a sports competition venue and disrupting the competition, resisting state authority, and assaulting a person in a public capacity," the public prosecutor's office announced, as several media outlets reported, citing the French news agency AFP. He was also banned from entering sports venues for five years and must pay €500 in damages to the fallen police officer.

Italy's top rider Jonathan Milan won the stage from Bollène to Valence in a bunch sprint. The world's biggest and most important cycling race concludes with the 21st stage this Sunday in Paris.