Cyclist’s Wife Battles Crowd to Congratulate Tour de France Stage Winner

Oumi followed the race in the waiting room and was proud of her husband’s achievement. But addressing him with a word of congratulation for this victory was a real obstacle course, she recounts in a video posted on Instagram. In the images, we see the Moroccan woman crossing a crowd of people, undergoing jostling and climbing over barriers before seeing Remco. "[...] This is what I have to do to see my husband before going back to Belgium."

"Being jostled while just trying to get through: I’m completely fed up with it. I even had to climb over barriers to see my husband on the podium after his first victory in the Tour. I felt like a criminal," details Oumi, who was finally able to have a moment alone with her husband on a motorway rest area. "He is grateful for the two minutes of conversation. Normally, he shouldn’t even worry about it."

The 24-year-old woman has the support of some fans who have empathized with her pain and asked about her well-being. "We have the best fans and I thank you all. Please support him (Evenepoel, ed.) very strongly in my place in the weeks to come," she concluded. For his part, the Belgian cyclist hopes to stay in the race "as long as possible" against Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.