Cyclists criticise safety after Finlay Tarling killed in Volta a Portugal

Finlay Tarling, a 19-year-old Welsh rider, died on Friday after colliding with a non-race vehicle during the eighth stage of the Volta a Portugal, prompting sharp criticism of the race’s safety arrangements from riders and officials.

Tarling was the younger brother of Netcompany Ineos professional Josh Tarling and was involved in the collision while competing in the Portuguese stage race. The Volta a Portugal operates with a rolling road closure—a moving “bubble” around the race convoy—rather than the full road closures used at Grand Tours. The race organisers and the UCI have been contacted for comment.

Portuguese police have provided an initial account of the incident. Carlos Catanario told RTP that Tarling was racing to catch up on a downhill section with the peloton ahead split into three groups and that the broom wagon, the van marking the rear of the convoy and the end of the rolling road closure, was behind him. Catanario said the GNR police escort “could not keep up with Tarling.” He added the driver involved had been stopped at the roadside to allow the race to pass, then, after asking bystanders if he could join the road, drove onto the course before the broom wagon had passed.

Catanario gave a further description of the collision scene: “In that specific location, we know there were no officers present because it was not one of the locations prioritised in the assessment that had been carried out.” He said, “The vehicle was going in the opposite direction to the direction of the race. The cyclist [Tarling] cut across the curve on the left lane – as is natural, as [racing] cyclists do – and that is what caused the cyclist and the vehicle to collide.”

The rider’s union, the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA), issued a forceful response, posting: “We are speechless and filled with anger after the news of Finlay Tarling’s death at the Tour of Portugal,” and adding: “It is not right that a young athlete’s life should end this way, and we are furious that even today it is still not possible to prevent such serious accidents.” Tarling’s team, NSN Development, withdrew from the race on Saturday in the wake of his death.

Former French professional Jérôme Pineau criticised the race’s security, describing the levels of protection as “catastrophic” and saying the lack of further incidents so far in the race was “a constant miracle.” Pineau added: “The finishes are not worthy of a race of this level. It’s the result of the lack of resources to organise major cycling races which are becoming increasingly expensive.” He also said: “All of this should primarily concern the authorities in charge,” and: “They must implement approval processes, and if security is not guaranteed, if the organisers are not capable of it, they should not be authorised to organise the event.”

Riders observed a minute’s silence at the start of the ninth stage; the leader’s jersey worn by Alexis Guérin was changed from yellow to black and the peloton wore black armbands. Tributes and black armbands were also paid and worn at other races including the Czech Tour and the Arctic Race of Norway. Tarling’s father, Michael, posted on social media: “This has been the hardest couple of days of our lives and it’s taken us a bit of time to be able to post this. Hearing how lovingly and fondly Fin was thought of has been a huge help to us. We simply can’t thank you all enough for the support we’ve had.

“I don’t know how we carry on from here, but we’ll figure it out with the support of all our family, friends, and community. Whilst our broken hearts will never be fixed, he was not only our son and brother but our best mate. Gentle, loving with the driest sense of humour, we will miss him terribly.”

Race organisers completed the final stages of the Volta a Portugal over the weekend as planned, and the circumstances of Tarling’s death are now the subject of a police investigation; Portuguese police said “more evidence will be gathered” and stated it is thought unlikely that the driver will face criminal charges.