Fin Tarling's death overshadows Tour of Britain ahead of Lincoln start
The death of Welsh cyclist Fin Tarling is overshadowing the men's Tour of Britain as the five-stage race begins with a 187km opening stage in Lincoln on Wednesday. Tarling's former team NSN Cycling, which includes Olympic medallist Ethan Vernon, will be brought to the start line and a minute's applause is expected.
Tarling was killed while racing in the Volta a Portugal last month when he collided with a non-race vehicle driving towards him, and a police investigation into his death is ongoing. The Volta operated a rolling road closure, the same security strategy used by the Tour of Britain, and Tarling's death has intensified scrutiny of that system. Safety concerns have been sharpened by a spate of serious recent crashes, including the high-speed fall endured by Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar, which forced him to abandon the Vuelta a España this year while leading the race. Tom Pidcock paid a tearful tribute to the Tarling family when winning the World Mountain Bike title in Italy last weekend.
The flaws of rolling road closures were highlighted days after Tarling's accident during the women's Tour of Britain when Australian rider Maeve Plouffe had a near-miss. "While the race convoy was still in sight, and I was less than two minutes down [behind], there were cars from the general public coming at me from all directions, including one that nearly hit me on a roundabout," the 27-year-old said. That incident fed into a wider debate over on-road protections for riders. Adam Hansen, president of the CPA professional rider association, added to the scrutiny by saying: "There is a hole in rolling road closures and we have to fix this."
Jonathan Day, director of the race organisers, said: "Rider safety is paramount and will always be treated as a priority in our planning and how we operate any race." The organisers maintain that the Tour of Britain is delivered in accordance with the UCI’s road racing regulations, described in the article as the safety and operational standards that govern international and UK-based road racing. They also state that local authorities, emergency services, commissaires, police and event partners are all part of the race planning process.
After the Lincoln opener the convoy will travel through Yorkshire and on to the Scottish Borders. The second stage runs from Boston to Skegness and stage three, through East Yorkshire, starts in Hull and ends in Beverley. Over the weekend the convoy crosses the Yorkshire moors and dales. The final stage on Sunday starts south of Edinburgh and is based on Earlston; Edinburgh is cited as the site of the Grand Depart for the Tour de France next year.
The field includes a number of notable riders. British interest centres on Ben Wiggins, son of Sir Bradley, who is national time trial champion in the under-23 category and is described in the article as a 21-year-old now on the radar of several leading World Tour teams. Tour de France stage winners Olav Kooij, Filippo Ganna and Tim Merlier are among the leading World Tour names entered, while Pogacar’s UAE Emirates XRG team will be led by Giro d’Italia stage winner Jhonatan Narváez.
Tom Pidcock, initially expected to start the British race, has opted to focus on preparing for the world championships in Canada by riding warmup races in Montreal and Quebec. The Tour of Britain has been extended from four days to five in 2026, in parity with the women's Tour of Britain, a change organisers hope will further boost interest as the buildup to the UK-based Grand Departs begins next year.