The supporter had positioned himself on the side of the road on the final climb to the Pla d’Adet ski station, first throwing chips at the leader Tadej Pogacar and then at his pursuer Jonas Vingegaard. A video of the action was circulated. “There was a lot of booing and someone threw chips at me. I heard that happened to Tadej too. That’s a bit strange,” said Vingegaard.
The Dane had a message for all fans: “Just stay on the road and cheer everyone on. There is no reason for booing. I don’t understand why you go to a bike race and boo others and throw chips at them.” In the past, the police have intervened in similar actions. In the spring, for example, a woman was investigated for throwing a cloth cap in front of the bike of the leader Mathieu van der Poel during the Paris-Roubaix classic. She then turned herself in to the police.
During the 2021 Tour, a woman caused a mass crash when she held a sign on the road to greet her grandparents. The woman was fined 1,200 euros. No investigations may be launched into the chip thrower’s case. The riders were not permanently hindered by the action, and there was no danger. However, the riders’ union CPA announced legal action once morest the chip thrower. “This is disrespectful and will not be tolerated,” said CPA President Adam Hansen.
The tour organizers have taken various measures in the past to prevent such undesirable actions and to create more distance between professionals and fans. For example, the last kilometer of mountain finishes is fenced off, and on other climbs spectators are held back with a taut rope and a large police presence.
