A protest halted the Men’s Elite Road Race at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland.

The event was paused with just over 190km (118 miles) of the 271km (168 miles) remaining, with the Edinburgh to Glasgow route blocked west of Falkirk.

The protest took place on a narrow stretch of the B818 near the Carron Valley Reservoir.

Police Scotland said officers were in attendance and engaged with protesters.

Environmental group This Is Rigged claimed responsibility for the demonstration, with four of its activists involved.

It was reported that protesters glued themselves to the road.

The race was paused for about 50 minutes before restarting.

The UCI said it was “working closely with all relevant authorities to minimise disruption to the race and also to ensure the safety of riders as our paramount concern”.

This Is Rigged has recently targeted the Scottish Parliament and Grangemouth oil and gas petrochemical plant.

Welsh cyclist Owain Doull and Ireland’s Rory Townsend were part of a nine-strong breakaway that had gone seven minutes clear of the main peloton, and were the first to be stopped by officials as the race was halted.

The race is due to end with 10 laps of a Glasgow city centre circuit.

Roads in Glasgow are closed as well as along the route from Edinburgh on a rolling basis.

Road cycling commentator Phil Liggett earlier told the BBC’s Drivetime programme the event was the “pinnacle of the world of cycling”.

“The Tour De France is for the multi-day cyclist and the world championship is for the one-day expert,” he said. “They are the two highest rewards in the world of cycling.”

The race started at 09.30 near the Scottish Parliament before heading through Edinburgh city centre towards the Queensferry Crossing.

It goes through south Fife and across the Clackmannan Bridge into the Falkirk area.

The cyclists then headed west towards the Carron Valley and over Crow Road into East Dunbartonshire before descending through Glasgow’s west end into the city centre.

Riders will complete 10 laps of a 14.3km (8.9 mile) Glasgow City Circuit before finishing in George Square.

The UCI website has published estimated times for the race:

Road closures are in place as the race passes along the route.

The M90 was closed at the M9 J1A slip at about 08:45 with the M90 J1A at Queensferry closed about an hour later to protect riders and allow the race to pass safely across the bridge.

The A90 Northbound from the Barnton Junction is closed from about 09:30 until cyclists are over the Queensferry Crossing.

Other closures include the M876/A876 access to Clackmannanshire and Kincardine Bridges from about 09:45 to 11:00.

For the remainder of the race, a rolling road closure is in operation across the event route, with roads closed for about 30-45 minutes.

Roads around the Glasgow City Circuit are closed completely.

Reigning UCI world champion Remco Evenepoel is among the top riders taking part in the race, along with fellow Belgian Wout van Aert.

Two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar is also competing.

British national champion Fred Wright is also having to contend with the two-time French winner Julian Alaphilippe and the Dutch Classics specialist Mathieu van der Poel.

The race is part of the UCI Cycling World Championships which sees the world’s best cyclists compete across a range of disciplines being brought together for the first time in one “mega event”.

It will see action across the country – from mountain biking in the Tweed Valley to elite track cycling in Glasgow’s Sir Chris Hoy velodrome.

There will also be time trials around Stirling and para-cycling road races in Dumfries.

The Women’s Elite Road Race on Sunday 13 August follows a 154km (96 mile) route from Loch Lomond to Glasgow via the Stirling countryside. It ends with six laps of Glasgow city centre.