Australian rider nearly hit by civilian car at Tour of Britain Women days after teenager's death
Australian cyclist Maeve Plouffe says she was nearly hit by a non-race car during the opening stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, an incident she described as "scary" and one that has intensified scrutiny of rider safety at the race.
Plouffe, 27, who rides for O'Shea Red Chili Bikes, was chasing back to the peloton — the main pack of riders — after a puncture on Wednesday's first stage in Cumbria when cars from the general public came at her from all directions. One nearly struck her on a roundabout. The stage began and ended in Cockermouth (BBC Sport).
"It's scary to see situations like this," Plouffe said (Cycling Weekly).
Jonathan Day, events director of British Cycling Ventures, which organises the Tour of Britain Women, told the BBC that organisers were taking Plouffe's comments "extremely seriously" and reviewing what happened with her and her team (The Guardian).
The near-miss comes amid an already sombre atmosphere at the race. Before the opening stage, organisers held a tribute to 19-year-old British rider Finlay Tarling, who was killed in a collision with a vehicle that had entered the course at the Volta a Portugal. A photograph of Tarling was projected onto a large screen and all 114 riders and spectators joined a minute's applause (BBC Sport).
Tarling's older brother, Josh Tarling, has been confirmed by Netcompany-Ineos as part of their squad for the Vuelta a España — the Tour of Spain, one of cycling's three Grand Tours — which begins on Saturday (The Guardian).
On the road, the racing has continued. Dutch sprinter Lorena Wiebes won the opening stage and then backed it up by winning Thursday's rain-affected second stage in Lancashire, retaining the leader's green jersey. The second stage was neutralised for nearly an hour after an unrelated road traffic accident ahead of the peloton (The Guardian; BBC Sport).
That a rider can be endangered by civilian traffic on an open roundabout while chasing back to the bunch — and that an entire stage can be halted because of a separate road accident — speaks plainly to the challenge of running a bike race on public roads. The tribute to Finlay Tarling gave this week's events a weight that no sporting result can lift.
