Visma manager Plugge blames UCI inaction after death of 19-year-old cyclist Fin Tarling
Richard Plugge, manager of the Visma-Lease a Bike cycling team, has accused cycling's governing body of failing to act after the death of 19-year-old British rider Finlay Tarling, and said teams must take responsibility for race safety themselves.
Neither UCI president David Lappartient nor anyone else at the sport's top level has stood up to call for concrete measures to prevent similar deaths, Plugge told the Dutch cycling outlet Wielerflits. He also pointed to what he called a lack of anger about Tarling's death across the sport. The Guardian
Tarling was killed on 15 August 2026 during the eighth stage of the Volta a Portugal. The 19-year-old was descending in pursuit of the peloton — the main pack of riders — when he collided head-on with a non-race vehicle that had entered the race route despite a road closure. He succumbed to his injuries despite a rapid emergency response, the UCI said in a statement on 14 August. BBC Sport
The Volta a Portugal uses a rolling road closure, which relies on police securing the front and back of the race convoy to keep traffic off the route. This system differs from the more extensive closures used at Europe's three Grand Tours — the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España — where roads are typically sealed more thoroughly. Adam Hansen, president of the Association of Professional Cyclists (the riders' union), told the Guardian there is a hole in the rolling-closure system that needs fixing. The Guardian
The danger is not confined to Portugal. Australian rider Maeve Plouffe said she was nearly hit by a car while racing in the Tour of Britain Women, a reminder that on-road traffic intrusion threatens riders across the professional calendar. The Guardian
Jonathan Vaughters, manager of the EF Education-EasyPost team, called for a reduction in the number of races on the professional calendar, arguing that an overstuffed season stretches safety resources thin. The cyclists' union expressed "fury" over Tarling's death. BBC Sport
The UCI said it would not comment further on the death while the circumstances are still being established. The Portuguese Cycling Federation confirmed that formal investigations are under way by the GNR — Portugal's National Republican Guard — and the Public Prosecutor's Office. The Guardian
Lappartient had issued a personal statement on 14 August saying he was "deeply saddened" by the tragedy, and the UCI published its own official statement the same day. For Plugge, condolences are not enough. Ten days after Tarling's death, no new safety measures have been announced.
