Bizarre moment stuns Tour de France as cyclist steals fan's sign for unusual reason
Updated . First published at
In a bizarre moment on the slopes of the Col du Tourmalet, a cyclist snatched a cardboard sign from a stunned fan for an unusual use during Stage 14 of the Tour de France.
In the brutal conditions on the challenging climb of the Tourmalet, Tudor Pro Cycling Team cyclist Julian Alaphilippe decided to take action.
Grabbing the cardboard sign, Alaphilippe used it as insulation to keep warm.
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The spectator, who had written words of encouragement for Alaphilippe's rival, Wout van Aert, reached out to the Frenchman, but Alaphilippe had one plan in mind.
Grabbing on, the cardboard tore in half as he raced down the road.
Julian Alaphilippe grabs a fan's sign clean out of their hands. X
Alaphilippe was then seen balancing the cardboard across his aero bars before ripping it into two smaller pieces and tossing away the scraps.
He then unzipped his jersey, before stuffing the sign inside in a last-ditch attempt to stay warm.
The conditions for the stage on Sunday (AEST) were a stark change from previous days of sunshine, with rain, strong wind, and plummeting temperatures because of the altitude in the French Pyrenees.
Ex-teammate of Alaphilippe and former stage winner Zdenek Stybar said: "Julian is really suffering from the cold".
The instinctive behaviour helped Alaphilippe preserve his body temperature.
After about 30km, and when the worst of the weather had passed, Alaphilippe waved down the camera motorbike, and appeared to give a roadside apology before handing over the soggy remains of the sign.
Alaphilippe later apologised to the fan in person before gifting them a special memento.
"In the end, the story ended well. I apologised to the woman [from] whom I took it," he said.
"I gave her a bib, and she took a picture with Wout. In the end, thanks to this, she had a better time compared to what she would have experienced at the top of the Tourmalet."
Wout Van Aert and Julian Alaphilippe pose with the fan whose sign Alaphilippe stole during stage 14. @propelotontr via X
Alaphilippe ultimately finished the stage in 50th place.
Keeping himself in the headlines, in the following stage, Alaphilippe celebrated at the line after thinking he had won.
He was, in fact, third behind Tim Wellens of Team UAE and Victor Campenaerts of Team Visma.
Having been earlier caught up in a big crash, Alaphilippe's race radio was damaged, meaning he did not know the stage had already been won.
Sprinting for third place long after Wellens and Campenaerts took line honours, Alaphilippe pipped van Aert at the line and celebrated accordingly.
To his embarrassment, he was quickly informed of his error.
Reigning champion Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates-XRG maintains the overall lead.