The cycling community is demanding a serious overhaul of racing safety measures following the death of 19-year-old Finlay Tarling, who was killed in a collision at the Volta a Portugal. The Welsh teenager, who rode for NSN Development, was hit by a non-race vehicle on stage eight of the race last Friday and died shortly after the crash.
The vehicle was driving the opposite way to the riders and accessed the course despite the race not having entirely passed that section of road. The Volta a Portugal, like many races below Grand Tour level, uses a rolling roadblock system rather than fully closing roads for each stage.
Carlos Catanario of the National Republican Guard (GNR) stated that Tarling was off the back of the peloton, riding downhill to catch up, with the broom wagon behind him. Catanario said the driver involved in the collision had been waiting at the roadside and asked bystanders if he could drive onto the road, doing so before the broom wagon had passed, which signifies the end of the rolling roadblock.
The police escort "could not keep up" with Tarling, and there was no security presence preventing the non-race vehicle driver from accessing the course at that specific location, according to Catanario. The incident is currently under police investigation, though Portuguese media have reported that the driver is unlikely to face charges.
The Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA), the riders' union, stated they were "speechless and filled with anger" at Tarling's death, 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." This incident follows a series of deaths in bike races in recent years, including Gino Mader in 2023 and Muriel Furrer in 2024.
The sport's governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), faces increasing calls to implement stricter safety measures amid concerns about rising average speeds and increased risks in racing. The final stage of the Tour Feminin International des Pyrenees was cancelled in 2023 due to near-misses with non-race vehicles, and several teams withdrew from the men's Etoile de Besseges race last year in protest of traffic entering the course.
The end of stage eight of the Volta a Portugal was neutralised, and NSN Development withdrew from the race. Riders wore black armbands, observed a minute's silence, and race leader Alexis Guerin wore a black jersey. Rui Oliveira dedicated his stage 10 win to Tarling and his family.