PROTEST CAN’T CAUSE A DETOUR DE FRANCE
Thomas retains lead after stage briefly halted by farmers’ protest
Officers removed protesters and a hay blockade at the Tour de France on Tuesday, using tear gas when necessary to clear the road for the cyclists, including Great Britain's Geraint Thomas, right, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey. Thomas suspects Wednesday’s stage could be decisive.
BAGNERES DE-LUCHON, FRANCE— Tear gas in riders’ eyes. A farmers’ protest blocking the road. Two key crashes on dangerous descents.
The only thing lacking from the wild 16th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday was a shakeup in the overall standings.
Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe took advantage of his downhill skills to win the first of three mountainous legs in the Pyrenees, which was briefly interrupted when police used tear gas to disperse a farmers’ protest that had blocked the road with bales of hay.
The overall standings were unchanged. Geraint Thomas in the yellow jersey, secondplaced Chris Froome and thirdplaced Tom Dumoulin all crossed together nearly nine minutes behind.
The farmers’ protest occurred 30 kilometres into the 218-kilometre leg from Carcassonne to Bagneres-de-Luchon. Thomas, Froome, world champion Peter Sagan and other riders were treated with eye drops due to the tear gas amid a 15-minute delay.
“I just felt my throat and nose were burning, eyes were burning afterward,” Froome said. “But I think quite a lot of riders were in a similar situation. Thankfully the effect didn’t last long. It was just a temporary thing with stinging and burning.”
It was the latest in a series of incidents involving spectators during this year’s race, with Team Sky riders being pushed and spat on and 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali having his back broken in a crash when a fan caught their camera strap on his handlebars.
The small group of farmers from the Aude department were protesting a planned reduction of European Union funding, according to French authorities.
“People should not block the road, no matter what causes they are fighting for,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. Thomas remained one minute, 39 seconds ahead of fourtime champion Froome, with Dumoulin 1:50 back.
Alaphilippe took the lead when Adam Yates crashed on a technical descent in the finale.
Belgian rider Philippe Gilbert was leading earlier when he crashed while descending from the Col de Portet-d’Aspet, hitting a short wall and flipping off his bike spectacularly.
Gilbert returned to the stage, and was named the day’s most aggressive rider, but he pulled out of the Tour later Tuesday.
The race remains in the Pyrenees on Wednesday for what could be the most challenging stage of the Tour, a 65-kilometre leg from Bagneres-de Luchon to Saint-Lary-Soulan Col du Portet that features three gruelling climbs, including an uphill finish.
“It’s going to be massively decisive,” Thomas said. “That last climb is possibly the toughest climb in the Tour — 16 kilometres, 2,200 metres (altitude). There’s definitely going to be some splits.”