During Tuesday’s Tour de France action, there were tumultuous scenes after a group of nine protestors stopped the course and forced the race to be suspended.
With around 35 kilometers of stage 10 remaining, a small breakaway led by Alberto Bettiol came dangerously close to colliding with a group of climate activists who had set up camp in the middle of the road.
The protestors, who were wearing t-shirts that read ‘Only 989 days left to defend our future,’ had lighted red flares, and Bettiol had to swerve dramatically to avoid colliding with them.
They appeared to have bonded their hands to the tarmac and shackled themselves together at the neck, causing Tour de France security to struggle to remove them at first.
As a result, race director Christian Prudhomme was obliged to halt proceedings, with Bettiol taking advantage of the chance to relieve himself at the side of the road before performing laps around the waiting vehicles.
The peloton was also forced to come to a halt when they approached the protestors, leaving a vast swarm of riders waiting for roughly 10 minutes until the group was eventually evacuated.
