Protesters halt men's world championship road race

GLASGOW :Protesters halted the men's road race at the UCI World Championships on Sunday, stopping the peloton after 80km.

A nine-rider breakaway group, which was seven minutes ahead of the main bunch, was approaching the Crow Road climb on the route from Edinburgh to Glasgow.

With an ongoing delay of around 30 minutes, riders got off their bikes and were waiting to learn when the race would resume.

It was not immediately clear who the protesters were or what group they were representing. Several sporting events in Britain this year have been targeted by Just Stop Oil protesters including the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the Ashes cricket test at Lord's.

Organisers the UCI confirmed that the race had been halted.

"Further to Police Scotland's confirmation of a protest in the Carron Valley area, which has temporarily interrupted the men's road race, we are working closely with all relevant authorities to minimise disruption to the race and also to ensure the safety of riders as our paramount concern," cycling's world governing body said in a statement.

Television pictures showed UCI president David Lappartient chatting to riders.

One of the riders in the lead group was Britain's Owain Doull. British Cycling is sponsored by oil company Shell.