Tour de France interrupted by farmers' protest and police tear gas
Cycling - Tour de France - The 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon - July 24, 2018 - Police officers remove hay bales off the road after a protest. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
BAGNERES-DE-LUCHON, France (Reuters) - A protest by local farmers brought stage 16 of the Tour de France to a halt on Tuesday as bales of hay were thrown on to the road on the route from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon and police tear gas blew into the faces of some of the riders.
The gas was used to disperse the protesters but it ended up blowing in the direction of the peloton, which led to the race being stopped at the 187 km-to-go point.
A Reuters picture showed a police officer spraying an isolated demonstrator with what appears to be pepper spray while she was sitting on the ground.
Cycling - Tour de France - The 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon - July 24, 2018 - A police officer pepper sprays a protester as another protester stands in front of the race director's car. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
The race continued after the brief hiatus.
Yellow jersey holder Geraint Thomas and world champion Peter Sagan were among the riders rinsing their eyes as the stage was stopped for 15 minutes.
It is not the first time that protesters have interrupted a prominent race, the most memorable incident happening in the 1984 Paris-Nice, when French great Bernard Hinault punched one of the demonstrators.
Cycling - Tour de France - The 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon - July 24, 2018 - Police officers carry a protester off the road as the peloton passes. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
The last time a Tour stage was blocked by a demonstration was in 2004.
Local authorities said in a statement that an investigation into the incidents had been opened.
Cycling - Tour de France - The 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon - July 24, 2018 - The peloton passes hay bales after a protest. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Toby Davis)
Cycling - Tour de France - The 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon - July 24, 2018 - Police officers remove hay bales off the road after a protest. REUTERS/Stephane MaheCycling - Tour de France - The 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon - July 24, 2018 - The peloton stands still after the race was neutralized. REUTERS/Stephane MaheCycling - Tour de France - The 218-km Stage 16 from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon - July 24, 2018 - Police officers carry a protester off the road. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
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