Lidl-Trek rider Julien Bernard has received a fine of 200CHF (£174) after he pulled up at the side of the road and embraced his family on stage seven of the Tour de France.
The French rider was sanctioned for "unseemly or inappropriate behaviour during the race and damage to the image of the sport", according to the race jury's report.
The moment came during the day's time trial, which finished in Gevrey-Chambertin, just a 20-minute drive from Bernard's home. On a climb halfway through the route, the 32-year-old was greeted by hundreds of poster-wielding fans, as well as his wife and son.
Upon seeing his family, Bernard unclipped from his pedals, put a foot on the floor, and kissed his wife. He then continued his effort against the clock, finishing 61st, three minutes and 11 seconds down on the stage winner, Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step).
Commenting on his fine after the stage, Bernard wrote on X: "Sorry UCI for having damaged the image of the sport. But I am willing to pay 200CHF everyday and relive this moment."
All the love for Julien Bernard 🥰@lidltrek #TDF2024 pic.twitter.com/b34LEYwgJNJuly 5, 2024
The Frenchman was surrounded at the finish line by camera crews in Gevrey-Chambertin, where he told the media it had been a "crazy stage" for him.
"I had been waiting for it for months," he said. "In modern cycling, it's not easy to stop and see your family, but here, with a time trial, it was perfect, because I could take time to savour it. And I savoured it.
"[Stopping to see my wife] is a moment that will only happen once in my life, so I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. She’s the one who organised everything. We have to thank her for that."
Bernard's fine was not the most severe dealt by the race jury on Friday. Arkéa-B&B Hotels rider Kévin Vauquelin, winner of stage two, received a 500CHF (£435) sanction for an offence on stage six labelled “assault, intimidation, insults, threats, incorrect behaviour or behaviour that is indecent or that endangers riders”.
The time trial brought a small shake-up in the GC, with Evenepoel taking back 12 seconds on yellow-jersey-wearer Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who now leads by 33 seconds.
Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) lost 25 seconds to Pogačar on the day, and holds his third place, now one minute and 15 seconds down.
