TEARS DE FRANCE!
Bungling French cops spray cyclists with CS gas in clash with farmers
THE Tour de France came to a standstill after riders were hit by tear gas when police were forced to clear away protesting French farmers.
All the race’s riders were forced to wait as cops cleared away the striking farmers on a narrow country road on stage 16.
Competitors including Great Britain’s Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas were hit by the gas and forced to rinse their eyes.
The farmers had parked their tractors by the side of the route and rolled hay bales into the road to stop the race, which was 18 miles into the 135-mile route.
The race between Carcassonne and Bagneres-de-Luchon, in the France’s southwest, resumed after a 15-minute delay while the protesters were dealt with.
It comes after Team Sky boss Sir Dave Brailsford hit out at fans for spitting at Chris Froome and booing Geraint Thomas during the race.
Aid
He said their behaviour must be “a French cultural thing” as he tore into the spectators over their treatment of his riders.
The protests were against plans to cut the number of areas classed as “disadvantaged” by the French government and the EU.
The classification ensures they get financial aid, without which many farmers fear they will go out of business.
Protests from farmers are a regular occurrence during the Tour de France. In 1974, farmers in Brittany blocked roads and hung pigs from lampposts to show opposition to the race.
But Tuesday’s events, along with the response, have taken the usual outcry from locals to a whole new level.
It continued an incident-filled edition of the Tour. In the past fortnight, Froome has been cuffed by one fan and spat at by another.
Sky chief Sir Dave added: “It’s like a French cultural thing really, isn’t it? That’s it. I’m not sure that they’d have liked their football players spat at in Russia [at the World Cup].”
The stage was won by French cyclist Julian Alaphilippe.