There was understandable uproar in the last few kilometres of stage 14. As Tadej Pogačar soared up the Pla d’Adet faster than anyone ever has before, extending his race lead to almost two minutes as he climbed, a looming spectator stepped blank-faced into view and threw a bag of crisps (chips) at the yellow jersey who flinched away as the corn-based snacks flicked into his face and cascaded groundward.
About half a minute later, Pogačar already safe in the barrier-lined final 1,500-odd metres, Jonas Vingegaard reached the same point on the climb and fell victim to the same man’s poorly conceived act.
As it happens, the spectator apparently saw no more of the race, with witnesses telling Le Parisien that the culprit, who was at the race with a group of friends who did not believe the act was pre-meditated, was whisked away by a gendarme posted nearby – an inauspicious end to “a very drunken afternoon.”
The 32-year-old from Brittany was taken into police custody for “aggravated violence” but was not capable of being questioned on the day of his infraction. He would instead spend the night in the ‘drunk tank’ to sober up before being questioned this Sunday.
Vingegaard – now up to second overall but smarting at even more time loss – was asked about the incident at the finish, and he said, “Some spectators were booing us, someone even threw chips at me, it’s really weird to do that. I don’t understand why people come to a race to do that.”
In the immediate aftermath of the stage, and before news of the aggressor’s arrest, social media erupted with debate, most posters equally scandalised by the events that took place on a day the Tour organisers once again emphasised that fans should not touch the riders.
This is not the first time a spectator has implicated themselves in this sort of apparently thoughtless, alcohol-fuelled act, nor shall it be the last, but it’s gratifying at least that it was acted upon fast. There is a precedent for this sort of incident which usually leads to little more than public apology and/or a nominal fine, but it’s not yet known what the accused can expect following his questioning.
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