'An enormous lack of respect' - fans standing on cemetery graves to watch Tour de France stage 2 finale sparks indignation

The Tour de France fans who stood on cemetery graves to get a better view of the finale of stage 2 have been criticised by the families whose relatives are buried there.

Dozens of spectators gathered in the cemetery of the village of Saint-Etienne-au-Mont, close to the stage 2 finish at Boulogne-sur-Mer, to get a better view of the race speeding past on an adjacent road.

But rather than staying on the ground, the fans stood on top of gravestone memorials in order to get a better view.

Relatives of those buried there were reported to be shocked and upset at the spectators' actions, with some turning up at the cemetery the following day to see what damage had been done.

"It's an enormous lack of respect, how can you do that without asking yourself questions?" one man named only as Serge, whose family tomb had been trampled on by fans, told local newspaper La Voix du Nord.

"I just can't understand that."

"The images were sent to us by friends. Suddenly, we saw a man jumping on the graves of my parents and sister."

The incidents took place close to the summit of the Cat.3 Côte de Saint-Etienne-au-Mont, the second last climb of the day, on a stage finally won by Jasper Philipsen(Alpecin-Deceuninck).

There were reports that some gravestones had been damaged, with rubbish also left in the cemetery.

The Tour de France has already issued warnings to fans about the use of fireworks, smoke bombs and flares during stages after some were used by roadside spectators over the weekends, as well as making the usual plea not to run next to riders

The Tour de France is the biggest race in cycling, and a Cyclingnews subscription offers you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. Get all the breaking news and analysis from our team on the ground in France, plus the latest pro tech, live race reports, and a daily subscriber-only newsletter with exclusive insight into the action. Find out more.