Marco Bertorello / AFP
Each year, “the eraser” of the Tour de France takes care not to leave a racist, political or sexual message on the asphalt of the roads of the Grande loop.
Tour de France – racist, political or sexual message, nothing escapes Patrick Dancoisne. For more than a decade this enthusiast of the Tour de France has surveyed the roads of the Grande Boucle to make his eraser worker. And this year, it is the rabbit that is in the spotlight.
Well known to bicycle enthusiasts, Patrick Dancoisne, 65, has gradually become an inseparable face of the Tour de France. In question? Its mission: to carry out the peloton course every day before departure to erase certain horrors or humorous messages registered on the roadway. With the objective of keeping the family spirit of the most famous cycling race in the world.
Nicknamed «Eaters in Poutis” Because sexual connotation inscriptions are legion on the roads of the Tour -, Patrick Dancoisne always has the eye to transform these marks on the ground into fun or childish drawings. “The drawing that we find most on the road is sex!” », Confirm this Sunday, July 20 “Effaceur» in the newspaper The team, Who followed this discreet man during the 112nd edition.
The opportunity for him to reveal the totem animal chosen this year to cover the different ” zizis “Marked on the ground:” I transform them into owls, rabbits or butterflies. But this year, I do a lot of rabbits ”he delivers. And it changes every year: during the Tour de France 2021, Patrick entrusted to La Voix du Nord that the owl was his favorite animal for ” erase the penis During the edition won for the second consecutive time by a certain Tadej Pogacar.
You will now know why animals are sometimes drawn on asphalt during an afternoon in the fridge in front of your television. “It should be remembered that the tour is seen around the world. It must remain clean, and above all stay a party ”defends the sixties.
“Many messages on Israel and Palestine”
Same thing about political messages, always very numerous, whether they refer to French or international news. Besides, a subject appears more frequently than the others during this edition, as the expert of the Routes du Tour de France confides : “This year, we have a lot of messages on Israel and Palestine. We erase them ”.
But no question of eraser everything. “We keep all messages of encouragement for runners, love messages, or even marriage requests, we see from time to time, and it’s very nice”abounds Patrick, still armed with his roll and his pot of paint.
Among the other missions of ” the effaceur »From the tour: secure the roads before the passage of the runners and the caravan but also to install the” advertising banks, arrival gantry, signage “, As explained The team.
But his missions are not limited to the step of France, as he revealed to franceinfo from 2023. Because it is also possible to cross the path of ” the effaceur On the roads of Paris-Roubaix, where he carried out his mission as a Graffiti recovery with an unchanged passion since his retraining in the cycling world.
« Before, you should know that I worked at Boulevard des Élongées. I was Croque-Mort. And now I work with good living and I like it ”slipped to franceinfo Whoever maintains the magic of the big loop in his own way.