“It’s great to hold onto the yellow jersey” – INEOS’ Andrew August points to sky in tribute to Finlay Tarling at Czech Tour finish
CyclingSaturday, 15 August 2026 at 19:00
Andrew August marked his second consecutive Czech Tour stage victory with a tribute to Finlay Tarling as the Netcompany INEOS rider crossed the line first on Dlouhe Strane.
The 20-year-old pointed towards the sky while wearing a black armband as he crossed the line to win Stage 3, a day on which the Czech Tour peloton had come together to remember Tarling following his death during the Volta a Portugal.
Before the start in Pardubice, riders observed a minute's silence, with NSN taking the place of honour on the front row and members of the team wearing black armbands. Tarling was the younger brother of August's INEOS teammate Joshua Tarling.
August then went on to win at the summit for the second day running, beating Alessandro Fancellu and Domenico Pozzovivo after Netcompany INEOS had again controlled much of the decisive final climb.
August doubles up after tribute at Czech Tour start
August had taken both the Stage 2 victory and yellow jersey on Jested, and arrived at Dlouhe Strane defending a six-second advantage over Fancellu. INEOS again kept their leader well positioned before August went on the offensive himself inside the final two kilometres. Fancellu was able to follow, while Pozzovivo briefly lost contact before returning to the front.
August launched once more in the closing few hundred metres and proved strongest for a second consecutive day, crossing ahead of Fancellu and Pozzovivo before making his gesture towards the sky.
The victory strengthened his position at the head of the Czech Tour, with Fancellu now 11 seconds behind and Pozzovivo third at 23 seconds. “It's great to hold onto the yellow jersey, but it's even better to win the stage,” August said afterwards. “It was similar to yesterday. The climb was tough today, but on both days it came down to the final meters.”
The peloton held a minutes silence pre-stage in honour of Tarling
August expects another fight on final stage
Despite winning both of the Czech Tour's summit finishes so far, August expects the fight for overall victory to continue on Sunday. Fancellu has finished second behind him on consecutive days and remains 11 seconds behind in the general classification before the final stage to Pustevny.
“The biggest threat to me remains Alessandro Fancellu, who was second both today and yesterday,” August said. “There isn't a big gap between us; we're at about the same level. Tomorrow, I expect the same battle.”
August will start the final stage with an 11-second advantage over Fancellu and 23 seconds over Pozzovivo after two straight victories in the mountains. On Dlouhe Strane, he crossed the line with his black armband visible and pointed towards the sky after the Czech Tour peloton had begun the day with a minute's silence for Finlay Tarling in Pardubice.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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