British cycling star Matthew Brennan has issued an urgent plea for an independent body to oversee rider safety, following the tragic death of 19-year-old Fin Tarling and a series of other serious incidents in professional racing. Brennan’s call comes amid growing concerns over varying safety standards across different tiers of the sport.
Tarling, also British, died on August 14 after a high-speed collision with a van that had strayed onto a closed road during the Volta a Portugal. His funeral, held last Thursday in Aberystwyth, served as a stark reminder of the risks professional cyclists face.
“It was very sad what happened with Fin,” Brennan, 21, told BBC Sport. “We were watching his funeral yesterday and I said to my friend: ‘It’s so sad we’ve lost someone so special and also nothing has changed.'”
Brennan, who races for Dutch team Visma-Lease a Bike and recently won five stages at the Vuelta a Espana Grand Tour, expressed profound disappointment at what he perceives as a lack of meaningful action. “I really think that is disgraceful. Instead of someone somewhere in these organisations saying: ‘OK, this should never ever happen again’, it feels the world has moved on, nothing has changed and there’s events where cars have been on the course still.”
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His comments gain further urgency following another incident last weekend at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, which returned after a decade-long absence. American rider Ezra Caudell, 19, of Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, is currently hospitalized with “multi-system trauma” after a collision with Belgium’s Milan Menten of Lotto-Intermarché. Caudell was knocked unconscious in the crash, as detailed by The Guardian and the Philadelphia Inquirer, and both riders were taken to local hospitals.
These incidents are not isolated. Six riders have died during road races in the past three years, including Muriel Furrer in 2024 at the World Championships. The disparity in safety protocols between major events and smaller races is a key concern. While Grand Tours like the Tour de France typically implement extensive safety measures, including total road closures, smaller events such as the Volta a Portugal and the Tour of Britain often rely on ‘rolling roadblocks’. Third-tier races, which sell broadcast rights at lower fees, tend to use more cost-effective and, critics argue, less secure road closure methods.
The UCI, cycling’s governing body, recently proposed the introduction of GPS trackers at all races to pinpoint riders’ locations at all times. However, Brennan believes a more fundamental shift is required.
“In my personal opinion, there should be an independent organisation that holds the organisations, the UCI and everything accountable to some very strict rules that makes sure the safety of the riders is held as a priority,” Brennan stated to BBC Sport.
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Brennan, also a winner of this year’s Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne classic, has previously been vocal about rider welfare, notably speaking out during the recent Vuelta a Espana regarding racing in 44-degree heat. His consistent advocacy underlines the pressing need for comprehensive safety reforms in professional cycling.
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