Tour de France organisers urge spectators to stop using smoke bombs and flares

Tour de France organisers ASO have asked spectators of this year's race to respect the riders following the race's opening weekend, reminding those watching at the roadside not to use smoke bombs and flares.

The Tour's Grand Départ in northern France, notably on the late climbs of stage 2, were marked by riders having to race through the smoke generated from smoke bombs and flares.

The closing climb of stage 2, the Côte d'Outreau, saw riders attacking through the thick red smoke. Fans holding flares have, in recent years, become an often unwanted fixture by the roadside in numerous races, with their presence on the climbs of the spring Classics a notable feature of the race every spring.

Race organisers have tried and failed to curtail the usage of smoke bombs and flares with little success. On Sunday evening, Tour organisers once again requested that fans stop using them, as well as asking fans to stop running alongside the riders on climbs.

"For your own safety and that of the riders, do not use smoke bombs and do not run alongside the riders!" the Tour de France wrote in a social media post.

In 2018, a spectator threw a smoke bomb into the peloton, while at the 2022 race, climate protestors halted the action, blocking the road and holding flares. The famous Dutch corner at L'Alpe d'Huez is also marked by the presence of thick orange smoke.

Beyond those incidents, flares and smoke bombs are regularly seen at races throughout the season. As of yet, the sport hasn't found a reliable way to prevent their usage.

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