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PARIS — Environmental activists have disrupted the Tour de France twice because it began in early July, together with bringing the three-week bicycle race to a halt on one stage final week.

Who’re they? A small variety of demonstrators with the French group Derniere Renovation, which fashioned in April, sat on the roadway and lit pink flares, forcing riders to cease for 12 minutes with about 21 miles to go within the 92-mile Stage 10 on July 10. The race resumed after police dragged the protesters, some chained collectively across the neck, off the street.

The protesters wore T-shirts that learn, “We have now 989 days left,” a reference to the variety of days the group, which has demonstrated at different high-profile sporting occasions, says are left to behave.

What do they need? One of many group’s calls for is that the French authorities commit itself to renovating all buildings to be extra power environment friendly by 2040.

“The truth is that the world in direction of which politicians are sending us is a world wherein the Tour de France can now not exist,” Alice, one of many protesters, mentioned in a press launch. “We should act and enter into civil resistance immediately to save lots of what stays to be saved.”

On Sunday, protesters with pink flares once more stretched out throughout the street with about 40 miles left in Stage 15, which lined 125 miles from Rodez to Carcassonne in southeastern France. The 2 race leaders slowed however rode round them as police pulled the protesters from the pavement and organizers let the race proceed.

Moments later, a crash within the slowing predominant peloton pressured a Dutch rider to drop out of the race with an obvious damaged collarbone. It’s unclear whether or not the crash that took him down is linked to the protest.

“The federal government’s inaction leaves us no selection however to enter into civil resistance and sound the alarm to stop crimes in opposition to our nation, humanity and life on Earth,” Derniere Renovation or Final Renovation posted on its web site after the incident.

“We should do no matter is non-violently essential to cease the race in opposition to time within the face of local weather change. For this reason residents sat on this street immediately. And that’s the reason we should pressure the federal government to behave.”

What the riders say: The 23-year-old British bike owner Fred Wright was a part of a small group of riders that first encountered the protesters on Stage 10, in line with France24.

“You realize that just about immediately. They’re protesting a couple of good factor,” he mentioned, earlier than including, “However it’s not nice when it is in entrance of the Tour de France.”

2018 Tour champion Geraint Thomas, of Wales, mentioned he’d seen the protesters “getting dragged away” in reference to a farmers’ protest throughout his title-winning marketing campaign.

“Not less than we did not get pepper-sprayed this time,” he mentioned.

Extra local weather protests? Final month, a Derniere Renovation activist interrupted a French Open tennis match in Paris by tying her neck to the web of the tennis court docket. Activists additionally staged a sit-in on the key street round Paris earlier this month.

The group didn’t say whether or not it plans on protesting extra levels of the Tour de France, which by some estimates reaches as many 3.5 billion tv viewers throughout the 190 international locations wherein it’s broadcast.

The race ends Sunday in Paris.

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Dennis Romboy

Dennis Romboy is an editor and reporter for the Deseret Information. He has lined quite a lot of beats through the years, together with state and native authorities, social points and courts. A Utah native, Romboy earned a level in journalism from the College of Utah. He enjoys biking, snowboarding and working.