Wave of hatred against Tour de France riders: "We thought a popular event like this would be spared"

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Cyclists in the Tour de France are increasingly facing insults and cyberbullying, despite their calls, and those of their teams, for calm.

Cyclist Pavel Sivakov competes during the Tour de France in Valenciennes on July 4, 2025. (Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

by Margaux Gable, special correspondent on the Tour

"I hope you die" ; "the ultimate idiot" ; "does he have a cycling license?" Since the start of the Tour de France in Lille at the beginning of July, social networks have been regurgitating their endless spew of hate. Mostly through anonymous messages, thousands of internet users have taken the riders to task. While football and tennis are sadly accustomed to this, it seems that the movement has gradually taken hold of cycling in recent years.

On the Tour, two moments particularly crystallized the tensions: the abandonment of the green jersey