A spectator has been arrested by French authorities for “aggravated violence” after throwing potato chips at race favourites Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the climb to Pla d’Adet on Stage 14 of the 2024 Tour de France. The spectator was questioned by police on Sunday since he was too drunk to answer questions on Saturday.

During Saturday’s final few kilometres, as fans and spectators welcomed and cheered for the leading riders battling out, one spectator decided to empty the contents of his bag of chips into the faces of Pogacar and Vingegaard. The race leader shook his head in disapproval.

“He was with a group of nice friends, cycling fans like us. We got to know each other well, talked about everything, cycling, Brittany, and played shuffleboard. But he had a very drunken afternoon,” said an eyewitness to the French newspaper Le Parisien. According to this eyewitness, the man was quickly taken away to prevent further incidents with the rest of the riders.

“[A police officer] pushed him off the road quite abruptly, and a police car arrived behind the barriers to take him away less than five minutes later,” said the eyewitness.

“The gesture did not seem premeditated. After the riders had passed, his friends were surprised. They were clearly not at their first Tour, but it was the first time he had done something stupid like that.”

The president of the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA), Adam Hansen, announced on Twitter that “the CPA will take legal action against this guy with pleasure due to what he did to both Pogacar and Vingegaard. This is disrespectful and will not be tolerated.”

Hansen thanked the French police for their quick response. “We have information that the Gendarmerie have already found and arrested the man who did this act and spent the last night in jail,” said Hansen on social media. “We thank the Gendarmerie for their fast, great work, and this is a sign not to do this to the cyclist. Please be responsible and respect the riders.”

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