“No other family should ever receive the phone call we received” - Finlay Tarling's father moved by Il Lombardia protest as Plugge demands ‘real action’
Cycling
Michael Tarling has thanked the professional peloton for its stand over rider safety at Il Lombardia, saying his family were “so thankful, moved and proud” to see Finlay's fellow riders refuse to start the race for five minutes in Bergamo.
Finlay Tarling died on August 14, aged 19, following a collision with a non-race vehicle during the Volta a Portugal. Less than two months later, his name was again part of the discussion as riders used one of cycling's biggest races to demand greater protection on the roads they compete on.
“We are so thankful, moved and proud of Fin’s fellow cyclists today for making a stand at the Tour of Lombardy,” Michael Tarling wrote on X. “Things need to change and no other family should ever receive the phone call we received on 14th Aug. We sincerely hope the UCI are listening and changes will be made.”
We are so thankful, moved and proud of Fin’s fellow cyclists today for making a stand at the Tour of Lombardy. Things need to change and no other family should ever receive the phone call we received on 14th Aug. We sincerely hope the UCI are listening and changes will be made. https://t.co/dQFVFngerO
— Michael Tarling (@tarling_michael) October 10, 2026
“It’s sad it is necessary that riders have to do this”
The message drew a reply from Team Visma | Lease a Bike CEO Richard Plugge, who has regularly spoken about rider safety in recent years. “I’m sorry that still nothing really happened,” Plugge wrote. “We think of you and your family often. And hope with you that real action will be taken. It’s sad it is necessary that riders have to do this.”
Plugge then turned to SafeR, the body launched in 2023 to bring the UCI, teams, race organisers and riders together around safety in professional road cycling.
“SafeR was set up as an independent body that could have made a start, but unfortunately became a political construct with no material changes,” he continued. “We should protect riders and ensure they can race safely, because an independent organisation checked parcourses, rules etc.”
Plugge was among the senior figures who publicly welcomed SafeR when it was launched. Speaking then as president of the AIGCP, he described its creation as an “important moment” and spoke of the opportunity to make “real progress on safety”.
SafeR was introduced with responsibilities including analysing risks on race routes, providing safety advice and carrying out audits. It has since been involved in a number of regulatory changes, but Plugge has repeatedly criticised the way the organisation has developed.
Read also
Fresh incidents bring safety concerns back to the fore
The latest intervention comes after another difficult week for rider safety in the Italian autumn races. A vehicle appeared on the course at the Giro dell'Emilia, a delivery van entered the route at the Coppa Bernocchi and Thomas Gloag and Marcel Camprubí were struck by a police motorcycle travelling in the opposite direction at Tre Valli Varesine.
Those incidents followed the death of Finlay in August and added to the frustration that surfaced publicly in Bergamo on Saturday morning.
Remco Evenepoel spoke on behalf of the peloton before the start of Il Lombardia after riders remained stationary for five minutes. The protest called for greater responsibility from race organisers and the UCI over how race routes are secured and managed.
For the Tarling family, Saturday brought a public show of support from the riders who had shared the same roads as Finlay. Michael's message afterwards was simple: things need to change, and no other family should ever receive the call his did on August 14.
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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- If my memory serves me well, there was a discussion here a few years ago about some other incidents or situations in Italy, a few of them were none too pleased some were suggesting it was less surprising to see it happen there but there do seem to be a few countries where things like this seem to happen more frequently. On the other hand they seem to have fewer other problems like hooligan spectators.Mistermaumau10-10-2026
- Very well thought out, perfectly worded statements. Hopefully nobody will need to subject these two to criticism for opening their mouthes this time.Jumpyjohn10-10-2026
- Omg, I can’t believe the mess the info in this text is going to create. Firstly, some facts are not given in context or are disputable like FT not being accompanied by a police motorbike, it was previously stated he was but was descending faster and the officer couldn’t keep up. The vehicle that was a car is now a van and the occupants convinced the road was clear were no longer told it was by spectators (there, apparently, being no official to answer their question). Later, it’s suggested a motorbike could be sent backwards, JUST after we.read of a crash occurring because a police motorbike was riding against the flow??? Then we have the issue of why before discussing gps nobody is questioning why important information like riders left behind seems not to be relayed by radio which everyone of importance has access to. Then there is the question of how gps will prevent a situation such as this or similar ones given the time it takes to organise an escort once a rider is defined as left behind and that still no-one has an emergency solution for this particular case where there apparently was an escort but it just couldn’t stay ahead of the rider on that stretch of the road (incidentally, after this, if I was I rider in exactly this situation, I’d no longer be cutting corners around blind bends anymore, ever, no matter how much catching up to do there was, just like after incidents like FC, very few riders remained stubborn about not wearing helmets). Then there is the issue of the gps itself, until now it was the teams and riders pretty against it but now the CPA is doing an about turn in public? I don’t have figures for many countries but I know that where I live, it costs around 1500€ for just 2hours of police motorbike participation (so good thing races are pretty punctual) whereas private motorbike helpers get more like a symbolic 50-100€, we would do well to ask where money for better accompanying should come from in the context of a sport dying at many levels. And finally, for now, what about the collective responsibility? In a race of this level, I imagine a rider left that far behind must have been overtaken by numerous support and other vehicles, could not one stick around, is it not possible to set up a closed Ways type group (perhaps even with spectator participation) where everyone can update on new dangers or changes in situations monitored by someone able to broadcast to all radios in case of emergency?Jumpyjohn10-10-2026
- Pogi would’ve completely demolished the field today in Il Lombardia. Not even remotely close. One and a half to two minutes is my estimate. I prefer Del Toro or maybe McNulty winning over Remco or Seixas. Anyway today Pogi would have won by a big margin... but 80% of cycling fools would be saying "What a boring race!!!"PogiSloFans10-10-2026
- Simple version. Moving objects look strange when using these cameras. Why? The horizontal axis is time, a cyclists proportions in the photo are entirely dictated by their speed relative to the camera's frame rate. The image stretches: If a cyclist is moving more slowly as they pass through the 1-pixel slot over a longer duration This makes them look horizontally elongated. Why do we see bending Spokes: In cycling finish line photos? Bicycle wheels often look oval or feature curved spokes. This happens because the top of a rolling tire moves forward twice as fast as the bicycle's hub,. It crosses the vertical scan line faster than the bottom of the tire. There is no reason for the actual finish line to not be shown. I would not know the reason why it is not shown. Bear in mind we are talking about several one pixel wide images stacked to show a more full image. The line the camera is on could be anywhere on the actual finish line. The cyclist was correct in asking to see the digital finish line in relation to where the actual finish line was. Alles klar?Prorodsandstuff10-10-2026
- "Death to fascism, freedom to the people!" ... was a motto of the Yugoslav Partisans. Slovenia used to be a part of Yugoslavia. "Death to UCI fascism, safety to the cyclists." ... should be the motto of all the cycling teams. Slovenia (a republic of former Yugoslavia) is Pogi's homeland. PS: This is what you call an artistic reasonable and political correct conclusion. Ad acta.PogiSloFans10-10-2026
- This! This is is how the riders get the UCI (and races) to pay attention! -An Economistacem8210-10-2026
- this team is loading up on talent.mij10-10-2026
- 💯% been too many 🙏
leedorney10-10-2026 - Why? The other guys skipped it, maybe they decided the rest would give them a better chance now so they’re not really racing on equal terms.Jumpyjohn10-10-2026
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