Protesters Block Road, Light Flares on Course at Tour de France

Stage 10 of the Tour De France came to an abrupt halt Tuesday after protesters blocked the road while bikers were out on the course.

Riders were forced to stop for a 12-minute period as race officials cleared the group of activists from the road.

The broadcast appeared to show authorities addressing the situation as colored smoke from lit flares billowed into the air from the road. Cameras also showed stage leader Alberto Bettiol navigating through the turmoil before the race was paused.

Other riders appeared to group up behind a line of race officials while waiting for the situation to be resolved. The Tour de France race center said at the time, “The race is neutralized. The race will resume with the same time gaps once the road will be cleared.”

French climate action group Dernière Rénovation claimed responsibility for the protest shortly after the race came to a stop. The organization said in a statement on Twitter that it “interrupted the 10th stage of the Tour de France between Morzine and Megève in the commune of Magland to stop the mad race towards the annihilation of our society,” per CNN.

The group added that it “can no longer remain spectators of the ongoing climate disaster. We have 989 days left to save our future, our humanity.”

The statement continued: “Our goal is to force legislation to drastically reduce France’s emissions, starting with energy reform, the area most likely to bring together social and climate justice today.

“This is our last chance to avoid catastrophic and irreversible consequences: deadly heat, extreme weather events, famines, mass migrations, armed conflicts… and this is for all the next generations of humans.”

The incident occurred about 23 miles from the finish of Stage 10.