The father of a Welsh cyclist who tragically lost his life during the Volta a Portugal says the last couple of days have been the "hardest" of their lives.
Finlay Tarling was riding for the NSN Development Team in the eighth stage from Melgaco to Fafe when he was killed in a collision with a van. The fatal incident, which saw the stage suspended with around 20km remaining, is now being investigated by police.
Tributes have poured in from across the world of cycling and beyond, with the 19-year-old remembered as a "kind, warm and unassuming young man" and a "remarkable talent" by those who knew him.
Family's tribute
"This has been the hardest couple of days of our lives and it’s taken us a bit of time to be able to post this," said Tarling's father, Michael, on social media.
"One of the things that has helped carry us through is the wave of posts, messages, emails, articles and calls from across our family, friends, team, local and sporting communities."
"Hearing how lovingly and fondly Fin was thought of has been a huge help to us."
"Our best mate"
"We simply can’t thank you all enough for the support we’ve had."
"I don’t know how we carry on from here but we’ll figure out with the support of all of our family, friends and community."
"Whilst our broken hearts will never be fixed, he was not only our son and brother but our best mate. Gentle, loving with the driest sense of humour we will miss him terribly."
"Whilst he was only 19 his short life was packed full of wonderful experiences and achievements and we couldn’t be prouder of him."
Career highlights
Tarling had been looking to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Josh, as a time-trialist. He finished in third in the under-23 men's individual time trial at the British Championships in June and competed in the Tour of Britain just under 12 months ago. His older brother is a world champion in the points race, having won the title in 2025.
Tarling's parents had released a brief statement in the wake of the horrific tragedy, with TNT Sports reading it out during their coverage of the race on Saturday. "If it's at all possible, please thank people on our behalf for all the messages of support that we've had, from me, Dawn and Josh," read the statement from Michael. "Knowing how many lives Fin has touched has been a tremendous help and seeing some of the happy photos of him has been heart-breaking and heart-warming at the same time."
"If you’re heading out on your bike in the next few days give him a thought as you clip in," added Michael in his latest post. "We will of course share funeral details as soon as we know."
