Visma boss Plugge apologises to Finlay Tarling’s father after Il Lombardia protest: ‘Nothing has really happened’

The peloton delayed the start of Il Lombardia by five minutes on Saturday in a united protest against the repeated presence of vehicles on race courses. The demonstration came almost two months after 19-year-old Finlay Tarling was killed when a motorist entered the course during the Volta a Portugal on August 14.

His father, Michael Tarling, responded to the protest with an emotional message on social media, thanking the riders for taking a stand.

“We are so thankful, moved and proud of Fin’s fellow cyclists today for making a stand at the Tour of Lombardy,” he wrote. “Things need to change and no other family should ever receive the phone call we received on 14th Aug. We sincerely hope the UCI are listening and changes will be made.”

Plugge replied directly to Tarling, expressing his sympathy and frustration at the lack of progress since his son's death.

“I'm sorry that still nothing really happened. We think of you and your family often. And hope with you that real action will be taken,” the Visma boss wrote. “It's sad it is necessary that riders have to do this.”

Plugge then directed his criticism towards SafeR, the initiative created to bring teams, race organisers, riders and the UCI together in an effort to improve safety standards.

“SafeR was set up as an independent body that could have made a start, but unfortunately became a political construct with no material changes,” he wrote.

“We should protect riders and ensure they can race safely, because an independent organisation checked parcourses, rules etc.”

His comments represent a strong criticism of an initiative that was supposed to provide a more coordinated approach to safety in professional cycling. Plugge, who previously served as president of the teams' association AIGCP, was among those who welcomed the establishment of SafeR in 2023. He now believes it has failed to deliver the independent oversight needed to protect riders.

Saturday's protest was organised by the riders themselves, independently of the CPA riders' union. As previously reported by Domestique, the demonstration was coordinated through a WhatsApp group involving one representative from each team, with Ben Healy among those helping to bring the peloton together.

Remco Evenepoel addressed the crowd at the start in Bergamo, explaining why the riders had decided to remain stationary for five minutes.

“Unfortunately, we lost the life of a brother and of a colleague of us, so we want to make this statement to just show to the whole world that we cannot keep accepting the fact that guys are getting injured and are literally dying while doing what we like the most,” Evenepoel said.

The protest followed another troubling week in Italian cycling. A DHL delivery van entered the race route at Coppa Bernocchi, while Thomas Gloag and Marcel Camprubí were involved in a collision with a police motorcycle travelling against the direction of the race at Tre Valli Varesine.

Healy explained afterwards that the frustration was shared throughout the peloton, with every team supporting the action.

“I think this is just us standing together to show we're not happy,” the Irishman told Domestique. “Every single team on the start line today all voted to do that this morning, so it's a particularly strong feeling. I think hopefully it was heard.”

The protest meant a great deal to the Tarling family, but as Plugge pointed out, it should never have been necessary in the first place.