During the 10th stage of the race, senior representatives from the Tour de France organization were observed forcefully moving climate crisis demonstrators into a trench as they traveled from Morzine to Megève.
The peloton and breakaway stage were both halted until the road was cleared. Around 36 kilometers from the finish, the protesters sat on a straight section of the road, setting off red flares. Despite a small group of young protesters being chained together around their necks, the race route was eventually dragged off by tour officials.
“We must compel our government to respond as they guide us towards imminent danger. In order to redirect focus towards matters crucial for our existence, it is imperative that we seize control of the Tour de France,” expressed climate advocates representing the Derniere Renovation movement. Given the government’s apparent indifference towards the climate emergency.
“Peaceful disruption is our final opportunity to be listened to and prevent the most severe outcomes of climate change,” the organization stated.
The organizers of the Tour de France declined the comment on ASO protest. Eurosport viewers were informed by Sir Bradley Wiggins that during the race, there was a truly chaotic scene on the motorbike. “It was really going off,” he commented. “It was quite crazy. In addition, the sport director got stuck in a boot, which caused a lot of people to become quite angry.”
“The Renovation Derniere group was responsible for the interruption at the French Open tennis when a protester jumped onto the court, tying herself to the net wearing a T-shirt. We have 989 days left in the Protest Tour where T-shirts were seen being worn.”
“Firmly dedicated to becoming a more environmentally responsible organization,” declares the Tour’s “road book,” the handbook provided to all individuals involved in the race. This occurred amid the race organizers vowing their dedication to minimizing their carbon emissions, yet the Tour has consistently faced demonstrations.
During the 2020 pandemic, the Tour de France race was criticized for being described as “macho” and “polluting,” with some mayors in major cities of France recently elected as “green” mayors, lacking environmental conscience and making multiple calls to further decrease its carbon footprint.
Just 48 hours later, the final outcome of the race itself was thrown into uncertainty when two Covid-19 positive tests affected Tadej Pogacar’s UAE Emirates team, despite all riders in the peloton being tested and confirmed virus-free.
On Tuesday morning in Morzine, both teammate Rafal Majka and George Bennett, a crucial mountain support rider for the defending champion, were found to have tested positive. Despite being asymptomatic, Majka was permitted to continue racing, whereas Bennett opted to withdraw from the race.
Vegard Laengen, a member of Team Pogacar, withdrew and tested positive on another Saturday. The uncertain continuation of Majka’s performance has led to a reduction in the team’s size to six members. Pogacar’s team, which started in Copenhagen, now consists of eight men.
The UAE Emirates team announced that Majka underwent a Covid-19 test and received a positive outcome this morning, in accordance with our internal procedures.
He is an Australian rider, Luke Durbridge, from Team BikeExchange, who was withdrawn from the race and also tested positive. Earlier in the race, Bob Jungels, a rider from Citroen AG2R, tested positive in Copenhagen, and we found that he had a very low risk of infectiousness after analyzing his PCR results. Additionally, Luke Durbridge is asymptomatic.
The Access to the paddock will be restricted for media until the end of the race. The ASO has decided to limit the access of media to the team buses, stating that only the representatives of the UCI (jury, commissaires, and anti-doping personnel) will have access to the paddock to supervise the teams’ staff and organization.