In an unusual and baffling incident, a spectator threw crisps at Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard during stage 14 of the Tour de France on Saturday.
As Pogačar powered his way solo up the final climb of Pla d’Adet, a spectator leapt in front of him to hurl crisps at the race leader. Wearing only shorts and a yellow hat, the spectator stood in the middle of the road before tossing crisps from a bag in his hands. Clearly displeased, the Slovenian rider shook his head but continued on to secure a commanding victory.
Vingegaard, who was chasing solo and still about two kilometres from the finish line, was met by the same spectator who repeated the action. “There was quite a bit of booing and someone was throwing crisps; I heard they threw the crisps at Tadej and that’s strange to do. Just stay off the road and don’t boo anyone. I don’t understand why you go to a bike race and boo at people,” Vingegaard said after the stage.
Watching riders up close, particularly on mountain stages, is a highlight for cycling fans. However, touching riders, impeding the race, and throwing anything at them are completely unacceptable. Adam Hansen, president of the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA), announced on X (formerly Twitter) that “the CPA will take legal action against this guy with pleasure due to what he did to both Pogačar and Vingegaard. This is disrespectful and will not be tolerated.”
This incident is not the first of its kind during this year’s Tour. Earlier in the race, Jan Hirt broke his teeth after colliding with a spectator’s bag in the team area before the start of stage 1 in Florence.
Earlier this year, a spectator threw a hat at Mathieu van der Poel’s rear wheel as he soloed to victory in Paris-Roubaix, leading to an official investigation.
