Blaze Media | News, opinion, and entertainment on Nostr: French cyclist Julien Bernard was fined for "inappropriate behavior" during the ...
French cyclist Julien Bernard was fined for "inappropriate behavior" during the renowned Tour de France for briefly stopping to kiss his wife and baby boy.
It was just 15 minutes into the seventh stage of the famous race when a spectacular moment happened.
The course was going through Bernard's home region of Burgundy when an ecstatic crowd of friends, family, and French supporters greeted him in a cinematic moment that caused authorities to part the seas of a cheering crowd. As he rode through the middle, Bernard [stopped to kiss his wife and son](https://x.com/Eurosport_FR/status/1809231200671666341 ).
Bernard [responded](https://x.com/JulienBernard17/status/1809276498274124232 ) to a video of the event on X by saying "Sorry, but what was that? I love you so much," directed toward his family.
It seemed that not every viewer thought the stop was such an endearing moment, as the international cyclists' union determined Bernard's actions to be a punishable offence.
'It was a dream moment for me.'
The Union Cycliste Internationale saw the act as "unseemly or inappropriate behavior during the race and damage to the image of sport" and fined the cyclist 200 Swiss francs, equating to approximately $223, [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/sports/french-cyclist-julien-bernard-fined-kissing-wife-son-during-tour-de-france ) reported.
Bernard sarcastically responded to a [screenshot ](https://x.com/JulienBernard17/status/1809286700016849138 )of the fine, saying he was willing to pay the price over and over again.
"And sorry [UCI Cycling] for having damaged the image of Sport But I am willing to pay 200CHF every day and relive this moment," he wrote.
>
> — (@)
> [](https://twitter.com/JulienBernard17/status/1809286700016849138 )>
Danish cyclist Magnus Cort responded to Bernard, jokingly saying he was lucky he wasn't also fined for kissing his wife on video during the race.
"What a joke. I guess I was lucky when they missed me a couple of days ago," Cort [said](https://x.com/MagnusCort/status/1809309362923372825 ).
"Actually that was two kisses so you should get double fines," Bernard replied.
In a subsequent television interview, Bernard said that his wife had been organizing the moment with friends for weeks in order to get the timing right.
"It was really incredible. My wife has been organizing this with some friends for a few weeks now, and she did a really, really good job," he said, according to [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/40505549/julien-bernard-fined-kissing-wife-tour-de-france-stage ). "On a time trial, you have time to enjoy yourself. It's these moments that keep me going and cycling."
Bernard told reporters that he knew something was planned but wasn't exactly sure what it was and that he was looking forward to seeing the plans unfold.
"It was a dream moment for me," he added.
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