Brennan: 'Disgraceful' that nothing has changed after Tarling's death
British cyclist Matthew Brennan has criticised cycling authorities for failing to improve safety following the death of young rider Fin Tarling, calling for an independent body to enforce safety standards at races.
British professional cyclist Matthew Brennan has sharply criticised the sport's governing bodies, saying it is "disgraceful" that nothing has changed on safety since the death of 19-year-old Fin Tarling.
Tarling, who raced for Britain, died on 14 August during the Volta a Portugal after colliding at high speed with a van that had strayed onto a closed road. His funeral was held in Aberystwyth on Thursday.
Brennan, 21, who rides for Dutch team Visma-Lease a Bike, told BBC Sport that after watching the funeral he told a friend how sad it was to lose someone so special while nothing had changed - noting that vehicles have still appeared on race courses since the tragedy.
Six riders have died in road races over the past three years. American rider Ezra Caudell is currently hospitalised with multi-system trauma following a crash at the Philadelphia Cycling Classic.
Brennan, who recently won five stages at the three-week Vuelta a Espana, believes an independent organisation is needed to hold race organisers and the UCI, cycling's world governing body, accountable to strict safety rules.
BBC Sport has contacted the UCI for comment. Earlier this month the UCI proposed introducing GPS trackers at all races to track riders' locations at all times.
The sport's biggest races, such as the Tour de France, generally have strong safety records due to extensive measures including full road closures for much of race days. Smaller events like the Volta a Portugal and Tour of Britain instead rely on 'rolling roadblocks', with police and officials travelling ahead of and behind the peloton - a cheaper but less secure approach often used by lower-tier races operating with smaller broadcast budgets.
Brennan, who also won the one-day classic Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne this year, has also spoken out about racing in 44-degree heat at the recent Vuelta, pointing to television scheduling demands as a major factor pushing races into the midday heat instead of cooler morning slots.
