Julien Bernard had a dreamy homecoming Friday. Throughout the stage seven time trial of the Tour de France, held in Bernard’s dwelling area of Burgundy, the French bike owner soaked up his native crowd and shared a expensive embrace along with his spouse and son.
For stopping his experience to kiss his household, Bernard was slapped with a wonderful of 200 Swiss francs ($223) by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for what the governing physique deemed “unseemly or inappropriate habits throughout the race and injury to the picture of sport.”
The smooch — which drew a rousing ovation from his lots of of native followers cheering — got here in a cinematic second as Bernard pushed up a steep hill with one arm raised within the air as his family and friends crowded the course, slapping him on the again, waving indicators and taking part in devices.
In the midst of the pack was his beaming spouse carrying their son.
Wonderful scenes for Julien Bernard with unimaginable fan help and stopping along with his household throughout the time trial.#TDF2024 📺: Peacock pic.twitter.com/FjIhSOWtjx
— NBC Sports activities Biking (@NBCSCycling) July 5, 2024
On social media, Bernard took the wonderful in jest.
“Sorry UCI for having broken the picture of sport,” Bernard wrote on X. “However I’m prepared to pay 200 (francs) each day and relive this second.”
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel finally gained the hilly 23.5 km (14.6 mile) stage.
Bernard’s time of 32:03 was the 61st quickest time of the stage. His Lidl-Trek teammate Giulio Ciccone completed in 31:19 for forty first within the stage.
One other Lidl-Trek teammate, Toms Skujins, responded to Bernard’s wonderful with related sarcastic confusion.
UCI doing UCI issues😂 pic.twitter.com/VFrIDWYL2I
— Toms Skujiņš (@Tomashuuns) July 5, 2024
“I knew my spouse and my associates did one thing on the climb, and I used to be trying ahead to seeing them,” Bernard mentioned in an interview after the trial, later including, “I needed to get pleasure from everybody second with my pal and household. It was dream second for me.”
“On a time trial, you might have time to get pleasure from your self. It’s these moments that preserve me going and biking.”
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(Picture: Dario Belingheri / Getty Photographs)
