Tour de France fans slammed for ‘disrespectful’ grave act
Tour de France spectators have come under heavy scrutiny after a ‘disrespecful’ act was caught by eagle eyed viewers.
Tour de France fans have blasted spectators who appeared to stand on graves to catch a glimpse of riders at the race.
Stage two of the world’s biggest annual cycling event rounded off in Boulogne-sur-Mer, in the north of the France.
The race saw Mathieu van der Poel beat Tadej Pogacar in a sprint finish to give the Dutchman the leader’s yellow jersey.
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With 8.6km remaining until the finish line, fans gathered on the edge of a cemetery to be as near the action as possible on Sunday.
Hundreds of people seemed to trample on graves along the side of the road, behind advertising boards, The Sun reports.
You can watch the disturbing footage in the player at the top of the page.
That provoked outrage among many cycling fans, who felt the onlookers showed a lack of respect.
One fan wrote on X: “They no longer even see that they’re standing on graves. Not out of hatred, but because they no longer know what respect is.”
A second said: “No respect for neither the living nor the dead.”
A third added: “This is so disrespectful. I hope they’re standing on ground between the graves and the road.”
A local said: “It’s shameful to the people of my town.”
Two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard finished third behind reigning champion Pogacar, while Britain’s Oscar Onley crossed the line in sixth.
Earlier on Sunday, French team Cofidis said that 11 bikes were stolen from their team truck after the opening stage.
In a statement, the team said that the door of their equipment truck was forced open, and their Look bikes were taken “despite the security measures put in place”.
Each bike stolen is estimated to be worth around £11,200.
All riders at the Tour generally have at least three bikes - their preferred one and two spares.
This story originally appeared on The Sun and was republished with permission.
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