'Parents shouldn’t fear their children not coming home from a race'
Parents should not be scared their children might not come back from a cycling race following the death of Finlay Tarling, Lorena Wiebes says after winning the opening stage of the Tour of Britain Women.
Lorena Wiebes, a Dutch cyclist and winner of stage one of the Tour of Britain Women, urges parents not to fear their children not returning from a race following the tragic death of British 19-year-old Finlay Tarling. Tarling lost his life in a high-speed collision with a van during stage eight of the Volta a Portugal. Prior to the race, a tribute was paid to Tarling, who was honored with a photo on a large screen and a minute of silence from the 114 riders.
Wiebes emphasized the importance of safety, stating that "it cannot happen again and it's happened already too many times." She called for stricter measures, including demanding evidence of rider safety and road safety from race organizers, and fostering collaboration between the UCI and race organizers. Safety has been a topic of concern for several cyclists, including British rider Hayley Simmonds, who previously faced similar concerns during the Tour of the Pyrenees in 2023.
Simmonds and Wiebes both stressed that riders should not have to compromise their safety for the sake of competition.
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