The second stage of the Tour cycliste féminin international de l’Ardèche was cancelled Wednesday due to protests by the “Bloquons tout” movement. The race had initially received approval to start. However, organizers were forced to call it off at the last minute.
The Bloquons tout movement is a decentralized French protest initiative. It advocates for social reforms, strikes, and civil disobedience.
“The stage is cancelled at the last moment,” Louis Jeannin, the event’s organizer said. “We had the authorization from the authorities at 10 a.m. to start, and we were expecting an update at 12:30 p.m.”
Demonstrations on course
Jeannin said the decision came after protests developed along the planned route.
“Unfortunately, the demonstrations occurred in the area where we were supposed to pass. So the decision was to cancel,” he said.
The stage had initially been cleared to proceed with only the safety motorcycles, as the police cars were not available. Meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday morning had approved this plan. Officials ultimately cited “risks of débordement,” or potential incidents, as the reason for calling off the race.
Tuesday’s first stage saw reigning world champion Lotte Kopecky take the overall lead after a hilltop finish split the peloton. She finished ahead of Italy’s Eleonora Ciabocco, with the Netherlands’ Mischa Bredewold four seconds back.
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Two Canadians are in the race for Winspace Orange Seal: Jenaya Francis and Nadia Gontova. They finished 49th and 51st on the opening stage, respectively.
With Wednesday’s stage wiped out, the general classification remains largely unchanged. Kopecky in is in a great position to defend her lead in the coming stages—if they can go ahead without disruption.
Meanwhile at the men’s Vuelta a España, protests continue to disrupt the race. Tuesday’s stage was shortened due to pro-Palestine demonstrators on the final summit.