Tour de Teargas a crying shame
CYCLISTS have been accidentally tear-gassed after a group of protesting farmers caused more chaos at the Tour de France.
The latest roadside drama erupted 30km into Stage 16 when the protesters dragged hay bales on to the road, blocking the oncoming peloton.
In a desperate bid to clear the area, police unloaded large spray canisters to remove the agitators, but that spray blew back into the riders’ faces.
The Tour was stopped for 15 minutes as a large number of
riders received medical attention and used water bottles to flush the spray out of their eyes.
Four-time Tour champ Chris Froome and triple world champion Peter Sagan were among the many affected, with Sagan heard asking the race doctor if the eye drops he wanted to use were WADA approved.
“I didn’t know what it was. I s*** myself,” Aussie Heinrich Haussler said.
“I started breathing it in and I could feel something burning. For a couple of minutes I couldn’t see anything. I lost my glasses because I just threw them straight off in panic and went looking for water.”
German Simon Geschke said he could see riders ahead of him signalling to stop but added that the peloton was riding through a “cloud” before they knew it.
“Everything started itching and burning so we knew pretty soon there was something in the air,” Geschke said.
Race leader Geraint Thomas dodged the worst of it but as the roadside incidents come thick and fast, the Welshman chose his words carefully.
“I don’t know, I think it’s hard in cycling when it’s on open roads,” Thomas said.
French media said farmers were protesting about changes to difficult-to-farm areas.
It’s the latest incident in a Tour de France marred by bad fan behaviour.