In the much-discussed mountain stage to Luchon-Superbagnères in the Tour de France, there were many storylines. One of the most memorable moments was Julian Alaphilippe tearing a cardboard sign from a fan apart just before the top of the Col du Tourmalet. It turned out to be a Dutch-speaking fan who had made a sign for Wout van Aert. A day later, she was surprised by Van Aert and Alaphilippe at the team buses.
The clip of Alaphilippe ripping the cardboard sign apart and making a sort of 'old-school' windbreaker by tucking the cardboard under his jersey went viral on social media. The woman in question was left astonished—and with a damaged sign. Part of the text she had written was now missing. What was clear, however, was that the sign was meant for Wout van Aert (the only Wout in the peloton).
Visma | Lease a Bike announced the next day that they had tracked down the woman. She was invited on Sunday morning to the team buses where she was surprised by Van Aert and Alaphilippe. The Frenchman had already apologized during the mountain stage and took it a step further by taking a photo with her. Van Aert was there as well.
What did the cardboard sign say? “Wout doesn’t know it yet, but we’re getting married!”, could be read on the torn sign.
🇫🇷 #TDF2025
Yesterday, just before the summit of the Tourmalet, Julian Alaphilippe grabbed a cardboard sign from a fan. He tucked it under his jersey to keep warm on the descent. Later, he apologized to the woman. The sign read: “Wout doesn’t know it yet, but we’re getting… pic.twitter.com/TIBJTkP834
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) July 20, 2025
