Tour de France halted by protesting farmers and cops who inadvertently hit riders with pepper spray

Stephane Mahe/Reuters

• Protesters interrupted Stage 16 of the Tour de France when they blocked the road with bales of hay.
• The protesters were identified by many as local farmers.
• Police eventually moved the bales and combatted the protesters with pepper spray.
• Many of the riders appeared to be affected by the pepper spray and one video showed a police officer using the spray just as riders were passing.

BAGNERES DE-LUCHON, France (AP) - Four-time champion Chris Froome was among riders whose eyes needed treatment for tear gas when a farmers' protest interrupted the 16th stage of the Tour de France on Tuesday.

Bales of hay blocked the road 30 kilometers into the 218-kilometer leg from Carcassonne to Bagneres De-Luchon. Tour organizers said police used tear gas to disperse the protesters as the peloton approached.

Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Stephane Mahe/Reuters

Froome, race leader Geraint Thomas, and world champion Peter Sagan appeared to be among those affected by the chemical and were treated with eye drops.

Reuters photographer Stephane Mahe captures these photos of (from left to right) Daniel Felipe Martinez of Colombia, Thomas, and Sonny Colbrelli of Italy.

Stephane Mahe/Reuters

One video appeared to show a police officer using pepper spray on a protester within feet of the riders (look for the puff of spray between the red tractor and the white truck).

The stage resumed after a 15-minute delay.

This Tour has been marred by incidents.

Race organizers have struggled to deal with angry fans protesting Froome's participation. After fans threw flares at riders in the climb to the ski resort of Alpe d'Huez, Tour organizers banned the use of smoke flares for the rest of the race.

Froome raced all season under the cloud of a potential ban for using twice the permitted level of salbutamol during his victory at the Spanish Vuelta in September. He was cleared only just before the Tour. He said he has been repeatedly spat at since the race started, and spectators have punched him and tried to make him fall off his bike.

Froome sits second in the general classification, 1 minute, 39 seconds behind Sky teammate Thomas.

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AP Sports writer Andrew Dampf and Associated Press photographer Peter Dejong contributed to this story

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