Tour de France Halted After Riders Accidentally Tear-Gassed
Was supposed to deter protesters.
Stephane Mahe / Reuters
At more than 2,200 miles long, taking place over 23 days, the Tour de France is widely regarded as one of the most punishing challenges of physical endurance in professional sports. Racers most likely didn’t appreciate, then, being accidentally tear-gassed by police Tuesday. The race was temporarily halted when gas got into the eyes of riders after police attempted to disperse protesters who had gathered near the course. Farmers had blocked the road with hay bales because they “wanted to be seen” by French Agriculture Minister Stéphane Travert, according to police. “Looks like the tear gas used by the police on the farmers ended up getting to the eyes of some riders,” tweeted the Quick-Step Cycling team. Riders were given “light” medical treatment but there were no injuries.
🏁 - 185 km
— Le Tour de France (@LeTour) July 24, 2018
After a 15 minute-long interruption cause by protesters, the race is back on. 🚩
Après une interruption d'une quinzaine de minutes due à une manifestation, la course a repris. 🚩#TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/LC94tTwuPz
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