Alberto Bettiol (EF Education EasyPost) had earlier attacked the breakaway and had a 32 second lead at the head of the race. He dodged through protestors sitting on the course before being informed that he would need to stop by race officials, with the way blocked for the rest of the peloton.
Bettiol eventually stopped after it was established he would be able to maintain his lead when the race resumed, as the break stopped behind him and the peloton much further behind them.
Bettiol could only sit and watch as authorities took over ten minutes to forcibly remove the protesters from the road, including two women who had chained themselves together by the neck with one wearing a shirt reading "We have 989 days left" and the race resumed shortly after.
Responsibility for the protest was claimed by a group called 'Derniere Renovation’, who also staged a demonstration at the French Open in June which involved a woman who tied herself to the net wearing a t-shirt that said "We have 1028 days left".
The countdown displayed on their shirts is believed to be in reference to a United Nations Climate report calling for action on climate change.
A quote posted on the group's website from "Alice, 32" said of the incident, "I would rather be with my grandfather, be quiet on my sofa watching the Tour de France, while the government does its job.
"But this is not the reality. The reality is that the world to which the politicians are sending us is a world in which the Tour de France will no longer be able to exist.
"In this world, we will be busy fighting to feed ourselves and to save our families. Under these conditions we will face mass wars and famines. We must act and enter into civil resistance today to save what remains to be saved.
"What do you expect from me? That I stay on the roadside watching my life go by like I watch cyclists go by? No, I decided to act and interfere to avoid the worst episode of suffering and create a new world. Because everything can still change."
The Tour is no stranger to these types of demonstrations, with protests occurring multiple times in past editions.
Farmers stopped the race in 2018, where authorities responded by using large amounts of pepper spray which affected many of the riders within the peloton as they rode by minutes later, including then-Team Sky duo Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome.
The 2021 edition also saw the riders themselves stage a go-slow demonstration in response to what they believed was a dangerous Stage 3 route, where multiple crashes saw Australians Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal) and Jack Haig (Bahrain Victorious) both forced out of the race with broken collarbones.
The Tour de France continues with a day in the high mountains as the race continues with Stage 10 that finishes atop the Col du Granon. Watch on the SBS SKODA Tour Tracker from 8.05pm AEST, with the SBS and SBS On Demand broadcast beginning from 9.30pm AEST.
