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Paul Seixas has called for better race-organisation standards after 19-year-old rider Finlay Tarling died following a collision with a non-race vehicle at the Volta a Portugal. A police investigation is ongoing, while riders and officials continue to debate how to prevent vehicles from entering race routes.
French rider Paul Seixas has called for better standards in race organisation after 19-year-old Finlay Tarling died in a collision with a non-race vehicle that had entered the Volta a Portugal course. Speaking to Canal+’s Clique this week, Seixas said riders being struck by cars during races “shouldn’t happen”; police are still investigating Tarling’s death.
Seixas said Tarling’s death had affected riders across the sport. “I raced with him, and it really affected me,” he told Canal+. He said cyclists were increasingly confronting the fact that another rider had died during a race, and added that there were sometimes concerns about how events were organised. Organisers did their best, he said, but standards sometimes needed to improve.
Tarling died on August 14 after colliding with a vehicle described in the report as a non-race car driven onto the course. The report says a police investigation is ongoing. It does not provide further details about the vehicle’s driver, how it accessed the route or whether charges have been filed.
Seixas also described the incident as a serious and frightening loss for riders and families. He said there had been severe crashes in cycling’s history, but argued that a rider dying after hitting a car during a professional race “shouldn’t happen.” His comments add to a wider discussion among riders, governing bodies and organisers about vehicle access and safety on public-road courses.
Pressure to Keep Cars Off Courses
The calls matter because race routes often use public roads, where organisers must manage traffic as well as the race itself. Vehicles entering a course can put riders, officials and spectators at risk. Tarling’s death has given renewed urgency to questions about how routes are secured and who is accountable when a non-race vehicle reaches the course.
Seixas’s remarks reflect concern that existing measures have not prevented further vehicle-related incidents. Cycling Weekly reported that cars or vans were involved in several subsequent course incursions, including during the Sauerlandrundfahrt, Coppa Bernocchi and Eneco Tour. Those reports do not establish that the incidents had the same circumstances or severity as Tarling’s fatal collision, but they underline the continuing challenge of controlling access.
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Safety Protests and Existing Measures
Seixas took part in a five-minute safety protest before this year’s Il Lombardia, which he later won. Riders including Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy also shared a joint statement calling on the UCI and race organisers to “take accountability and act” against cars on courses. The statement said riders would not accept the situation continuing.
The UCI established a safety body called SafeR in 2023. The source report says the body describes itself as independent, while receiving funding from the governing body, race organisers, riders and teams. In September, the UCI called for safety-tracking systems to be introduced across professional road races as quickly as possible. The available report does not specify a deadline or say how widely such systems have been adopted.
British rider Matthew Brennan separately called for an independent safety body after Tarling’s death, telling BBC Sport that it was “disgraceful” that “nothing has changed.” Organisers have also pointed to the scale of the task: races can cover hundreds of kilometres and pass many roads that connect to the route.
““Take accountability and act.””
— Riders including Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy, in a joint social media statement
Investigation and Safety Changes
The police investigation remains ongoing, and the source report does not state what investigators have established about the collision or whether anyone will face legal action. It also does not identify specific failures in the route’s security arrangements.
It is not clear when the UCI’s proposed safety-tracking systems will be in place across professional races, how they will work or whether they would prevent vehicles from entering a course. The report also gives no confirmed timetable for any changes to race-organising standards, and does not establish whether SafeR will be altered in response to riders’ calls for greater independence.
Investigation and UCI Measures
The immediate next development is the outcome of the police investigation into Tarling’s death. Any findings may clarify how the vehicle reached the route and what, if any, safety or legal consequences follow.
Riders have asked the UCI and race organisers to act, while the UCI has called for safety-tracking systems to be introduced as quickly as possible. The source report does not give a specific implementation date. Further detail from the governing body, SafeR or race organisers will be needed to show what measures will change and how their effect will be assessed.
Key Questions
Who was Finlay Tarling?
Finlay Tarling was a 19-year-old cyclist who died on August 14 after colliding with a non-race vehicle on the Volta a Portugal course.
What did Paul Seixas say about race safety?
Seixas said riders being struck by cars during races “shouldn’t happen” and called for better standards of race organisation. He also said Tarling’s death had affected him and other riders.
Is the investigation into Tarling’s death complete?
No. The source report says a police investigation is ongoing. It provides no findings about how the vehicle entered the course or whether legal action will follow.
What safety steps have been proposed?
Riders have urged the UCI and race organisers to take action over cars entering courses. The UCI has called for safety-tracking systems across professional road races, but the source report gives no rollout deadline.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
