Tour of Portugal organizers issue appeal following Tarling's death: 'Not the time for speculation'

The Tour of Portugal—and, by extension, the entire cycling world—was shaken by a fatal accident on Friday. Finlay Tarling, 19, riding for the NSN development team, was hit by an oncoming van —which was not part of the race convoy— during a descent and tragically lost his life.

The day after the accident, a little more became clear about the nature of the incident, although the Portuguese investigations are, of course, not yet complete. Tarling reportedly fell behind and was trying to catch up to the peloton when, in a blind curve, he suddenly collided head-on with an oncoming van. The van had reportedly driven onto the course, disregarding the road markings.

There were numerous reactions from the cycling world to the tragic death of 19-year-old Tarling, the younger brother of Joshua, who rides for Netcompany INEOS. The Tour of Portugal will continue on Saturday, the organisers announced. “The Tour of Portugal will resume on Saturday in an atmosphere of deep mourning. Before the start, there will be a moment of tribute to Finlay Tarling, attended by the entire peloton and his family.”

'We are all deeply shocked. Cycling is a sport that carries risks, but we are never prepared for a tragedy of this magnitude. Finlay lost his life. A family lost a son. A team lost a teammate. The sport of cycling lost one of its own members. It is a tragedy that transcends the sport itself.'

Furthermore, an appeal is being made. 'This is not the time for speculation regarding the circumstances of the accident. The incident is being investigated by the GNR Command (National Guard), which is responsible for a thorough investigation into the facts,' the organization states, concluding with the sentence: 'There will still be a race, but no celebration.'

That will likely be without the NSN riders, according to a statement from the team. “Following the tragic death of Fin Tarling on Friday, the NSN Development Team has withdrawn from the remaining stages of the Volta a Portugal.”

With the full support of Fin’s parents, the WorldTour team will continue to race in the Czech Tour and the Arctic Race of Norway. We carry Fin in our hearts as we race in his honor and do what he loved most.

"We would like to thank everyone in the cycling world and beyond for their tremendous support during this difficult time," the team concludes.