In pictures: Tour de France stage brought to standstill after protest | Cycling News

Protesters defending ‘Mont Blanc environment’ cause the Tour de France to be temporarily immobilised on Stage 10

The 10th stage of the Tour de France was halted on Tuesday after half a dozen climate activists tried to stop riders on the road.

The activists, one of them wearing a T-shirt saying “We have 989 days left”, sat on the road around 22 miles from the finish in Megeve, a Reuters witness said.

The activists were pulled off the road by police following the protest, which caused a 10-minute delay to the race.

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Stage leader Alberto Bettiol rode through a cloud of pink from a flare before being asked by a race official to step down from his bike just before organisers said the stage had been stopped.

Ten minutes later, race director Christian Prudhomme ordered racing to resume.

“Since the government doesn’t care about the climate crisis, we need to come and take over the Tour de France to refocus attention on what matters for our survival,” climate activists movement Derniere Renovation said in a statement.

“We need to make our government react as they lead us to the slaughterhouse.”

Top images from the dramatic protest

A view of the peloton during the delay

Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar, who is bidding to win a third straight Tour de France, looks on as the race is temporarily immobilised

The protesters were eventually cleared from the route

Riders wait for the restart

Race regulators speak with UAE Team Emirates riders

French gendarmes remove one of the climate activists

Riders in the peloton prepare to restart