Two women were arrested in Adelaide after they glued their bodies to a pile of bikes to protest oil and gas producer Santos, the title sponsor of the cycling race "Tour Down Under."

Extinction Rebellion planned 11 different protests during the Tour Down Under, starting with a protest in front of Santos' offices near the Tour Down Under village in Victoria Square in central Adelaide.

The civil disobedience movement describes its plans on its Facebook page as "a series of creative and fun protests," but local media have emphasized how disruptive past Extinction Rebellion protests in Australia have been, with protesters gluing and chaining objects to the road They emphasize how destructive they were.

On this particular day, protesters placed a huge pile of motorcycles in the middle of the road, in front of which two women poured fake oil over their bodies and glued them to the road.

The two women's actions shut down a road in central Adelaide for an hour on Thursday, but had no effect on the Tour Down Under as riders rolled out of the Race Village to train ahead of Saturday's opening criterium.

Extinction Rebellion has accused Tour Down Under sponsor Santos of sportswashing and has called on the state government to remove Santos as the race's title sponsor.

"The focus of these protests is directed at the government for allowing Santos to sportwash and greenwash this event," Chris Johnson, South Australian state spokesman for Extinction Liberion, told ABC News He told ABC News.

He said that Extinction Rebellion is not opposed to the Tour Down Under race.

"I think people are smart enough to understand that we are targeting Santos in this race. If we have a presence and we have banners that say 'Dump Santos' or 'Disrupt Santos,' it is clear that we are targeting Santos," he said.

"Together, we must not allow the government to allow fossil fuel companies to purchase a social license to destroy the climate and greenwash this beloved SA event," said Extinction Rebellion when it announced its protest plan.

They are also planning a "dump Santos" protest during the team presentation on Friday and a "get off the gas" protest at the start of the stage. They have informed the Australian police of their plans.

Tour Down Under organizers have promised Cycling News that they will work closely with the South Australian Police to monitor anyone who might pose a protest risk to the race and to respond quickly.

"The safety of riders, spectators and staff is our top priority and any interference with the race is considered a risk to it," race organizers said in a statement.

"The Santos Tour Down Under is declared a major event under the 2013 Major Events Act. As such, SAPOL and event staff have plans and processes in place to respond quickly in the event of a race interruption of any kind."

The event is also a "major event" under the Major Events Act of 2013.

The Extinction Rebellion is part of a growing global climate change protest movement. Professional races are held on public roads and have global visibility through live television broadcasts, making them a potential target.

Questions have also been raised about the carbon footprint of professional cycling, as teams travel around the world to participate in various races.

A group called "Dernière Renovation" canceled a stage of the 2022 Tour de France to emphasize the need for action to combat climate change.

They set up smoke bombs and sat in the middle of the route of last year's 19th stage of the Tour in Cahors, chaining themselves together before French police and race organizers pulled them off the road.

South Australian MP and Sports Minister Katrine Hildyard was critical of the Extinction Rebellion protests.

"It is absolutely appalling that the 'extinction rebellion' is plotting to sabotage a sport like cycling that produces no exhaust emissions," she told an Australian television station. And it is absolutely outrageous that Santos is plotting to sabotage the great event that he has made possible over the past decade."

A Santos spokesperson said the company respects the right of people to protest safely and peacefully. [Our commitment is to be a global leader in the transition to cleaner energy and cleaner fuels by helping the world decarbonize to reach net zero emissions in an affordable and sustainable way," she said.