NSN leaves Volta a Portugal but races on in Norway and Czechia after Finlay Tarling’s death

NSN Cycling Team have confirmed they have withdrawn their development team from the final stages of the Volta a Portugal following the death of their rider Fin Tarling. The WorldTour squad will continue racing at the Arctic Race of Norway and the Czech Tour with the full support of Tarling’s parents.

Tarling, 19, died on Friday, August 14, after colliding with a vehicle on the eighth stage of the Volta a Portugal. The vehicle was driven by a member of the public who had managed to get onto the course while travelling in the opposite direction to the riders.

In a statement issued on Saturday, NSN said: “Following Fin Tarling’s tragic passing, the NSN Development Team has withdrawn from the remaining Volta a Portugal stages.

“With the full support of Fin’s parents, the WorldTour team will race on at Czech Tour and the Arctic Race of Norway. We will continue to hold Fin in our hearts as we race in his honour, doing what he loved most.

“We want to thank everyone in the cycling community and beyond for the incredible support at this difficult time.”

Stage eight neutralised after fatal collision

Tarling was riding the 166.8km stage from Melgaço to Fafe when the incident happened while the British rider was behind the main peloton. Portuguese broadcaster RTP reported that the vehicle was not part of the race and was travelling in the opposite direction to the riders. Portugal’s National Republican Guard said the collision involved a light goods vehicle and that an investigation was underway.

The stage was neutralised after the incident, and the peloton rode together to the finish in Fafe. The podium ceremonies were cancelled as a mark of respect.

NSN confirmed Tarling's death in a separate statement on Friday, describing him as a much-loved member of the team and extending its condolences to his family and friends.

Tarling competed for Great Britain in road racing as well as in the velodrome, he took honours such as bronze in the British national U23 time trial championships in June of this year. He also raced the Tour of Britain last year. He had just started his career.

This is yet another awfully dark moment for the sport and a new name on a list that is growing at an alarming rate in recent years due to incidents while racing. Bjorg Lambrecht, 22, died following a crash at the 2019 Tour de Pologne, while Jacopo Venzo, 17, died at the 2023 Giro d’Alta Austria.

Gino Mäder, 26, died after crashing at the 2023 Tour de Suisse. André Drege, 25, died at the 2024 Tour of Austria; Muriel Furrer, 18, died following an incident at the 2024 world championships; and Samuele Privitera, 19, died at the 2025 Giro della Valle d’Aosta.

There will be long discussions about what should be done to make the sport safer for riders. Formula 1 is a prime example adding the ‘halo’ to all race cars after Jules Bianchi died in 2015, following nine months in a coma due to injuries caused by a crash at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2014, though the measure was not implemented until 2018. Unfortunately, similar steps will be much harder to achieve in road cycling. But new safety measures are absolutely needed.

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