British rider Hayley Simmonds, holder of three British time trial records, has been vocal about safety for cyclists, particularly after she was involved in the abandonment of the Tour of the Pyrenees in 2023.
At the time, riders complained roads were not closed to traffic for the three-day race in south-west France.
Several teams pulled out before governing body the UCI officially cancelled the race with the unhappy organisers describing the women as “spoiled children”.
“Our response at the time was, ‘No, we just expect to be safe’,” Simmonds said.
“When you go out on your bike, you expect to get home safely.”
Recalling the event in 2023, the DAS Hutchinson rider said: “We were riding along a road and suddenly there was a car moving towards us in the opposite direction, coming towards you.
“And then you’re half thinking about that, half thinking about the race, and no race is worth losing your life over.
“And that’s why on stage three, we chose not to race. But it shouldn’t come down to riders having to stop in the middle of a stage and have a discussion about whether they feel safe on their bikes or not.”
So what’s the answer? While races in road cycling are set up by independent organisers, the UCI oversees most of the events and can set standards for race management.
Simmonds agrees action needs to be taken by the sport’s governing body.
“I don’t think it’s necessarily right or fair to say that the responsibility lies solely with one particular party. But ultimately, they should have some set of mandates that say we need proof that rider safety has been considered, and we need proof that the roads will be safe to ride on.
“I think you need real collaboration between the UCI and the race organisers. The UCI needs to be asking questions of the race organiser. Like, what group have you got doing the road closures and looking after the race? Do they actually have legal authority to stop all traffic? Do drivers have to respect that?”
Following the fatal crash involving Tarling, the UCI issued a statement saying it was “deeply saddened, and extended its deepest condolences to Finlay’s family, friends, and team-mates”, but has not made further comment since then.
