Men's Elite Road Race halted by protesters

Five people have been arrested after the Men’s Elite Road Race was halted for nearly an hour by protesters along the route of the biggest outdoor event of the UCI Cycling World Championships.

Cyclists set off on the 271km (168 mile) route from Edinburgh to Glasgow this morning, and were due to reach the finish just after 4pm.

Riders were held in the Carron Valley area of Stirlingshire for the road to be cleared after This Is Rigged demonstrators blocked the race.

There are reports the activists glued themselves to the road west of Falkirk.

A spokesperson for the UCI said they were "working closely with all relevant authorities to minimise disruption to the race and also to ensure the safety of riders as our paramount concern.”

Police Scotland said they had engaged with the protesters to remove them.

Four demonstrators delayed the event by 40 minutes as part of continuing protests against oil and gas use in Scotland.

Britain's Owain Doull and Ireland's Rory Townsend had been part of a nine-strong breakaway group which was seven minutes clear of the peloton, and were the first to be stopped by officials as the race was neutralised.

With the peloton then also stopping behind, a police van was seen cutting its way through the mass of riders on the road in order to reach the protest.

UCI president David Lappartient, who had been following the race from one of the lead cars, was seen enjoying a joke with some of the riders as he tried to explain to them what was happening.

French rider Julian Alaphilippe took the opportunity to pose for a selfie with a race official, while fellow former world champion Michal Kwiatkowski sat crossed legged on the floor, with others keeping warm in team cars.

The cyclists set off again at 12:15, with 190km left to travel to George Square, and the leaders were given a seven minute advantage as they headed for the Crow Road climb.