Police pepper spray hits riders
® from MIKE WALTERS in Bagneres-de-Louchon responded with pepper spray. With little wind to disperse the noxious fumes, many of the 147 surviving riders on stage 16 rode headlong into the fumes.
And when director Christian Prudhomme suspended the race, with dozens of riders temporarily blinded by streaming eyes, his showpiece event turned into the Tear de France.
In-race doctors helped riders to wash the residual irritants out of their eyes and Froome said: “My throat, nose and eyes were burning afterwards but I think a lot of the riders were in a similar situation so we were grateful for the temporary neutralisation of the race.
“Thankfully the effects didn’t last long, but temporarily everything was stinging and burning. I’ve never seen anything quite like that, to that extent, but I hope everyone has come out all right from it – riders, farmers and police.”
Thomas, whose overall lead remains 1min 39sec, said: “We don’t feel threatened out there, although the atmosphere is not always nice on the climbs, and it was unfortunate it (the pepper spray) was still lingering in the air when we came through.
Drama
“I was lucky it didn’t affect me too much. I could feel my eyes tingling so I gave them a wash and rinsed my mouth out.”
When the race resumed, there was no shortage of drama.
Britain’s Adam Yates, leading out on his own with four miles to go, crashed at 44mph on a dangerous descent four miles from the finish.
He climbed on his bike just in time to see eventual stage winner Julian Alaphilippe go sailing past him. Yates finished third.
He said: “There are no bad injuries – just bad morale because we were so close to winning the stage. I’ve taken more risks on more technical descents in the past and never had a problem.”
Earlier, in a terrifying moment, Belgium’s Philippe Gilbert miraculously survived a terrifying crash as he skidded into a low wall descending the Col Portet d’Aspet and vaulted over the handlebars down a shallow ravine.
After scrambling back up the bank and being examined by doctors, Gilbert was somehow able to remount and finish with his left leg weeping blood.
It was sobering reminder of the risks riders face at high speeds on the same mountain where Italian Fabio Casartelli died in a crash on Le Tour 23 years ago.