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Seixas carries the riders' Il Lombardia demand into October
Paul Seixas went on Canal+ 'Clique' on 29 October and called for stricter organisational standards after the death of Finlay Tarling. He said the problem «is not the only one», repeating much of what Remco Evenepoel said at Il Lombardia. That protest was run by riders through a WhatsApp group, with the CPA union and the teams kept out, and the demand is still being made nearly three weeks later.
What this means
The UCI called in September for safety tracking systems across all professional road races «as quickly as possible», and the riders' demand is still being voiced. Kiko García, technical director of the Vuelta a España, says policing hundreds of kilometres of public roads is «totally impossible», though organisers' first priority is safety.
The Il Lombardia protest was organised via a WhatsApp group, with Tom Pidcock or Ben Healy as ring-leaders, and one rider from each of the 25 teams joined. The CPA union was not involved, and teams and directors were not told. Before the start, Evenepoel delivered a statement on behalf of the peloton from the front row, and the riders posted a joint statement calling on the UCI and organisers to act. Seixas on Canal+ said: «the organisers do their best, that's not what we're saying, but sometimes there should be more strict standards». Seixas raced against Tarling several times, including at the junior World Championships and junior Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Post-Tarling incidents include a rider swerving to dodge a car at Sauerlandrundfahrt and an SUV on the course at the Eneco Tour, four days after the Il Lombardia protest.
Sources
'This shouldn't happen' – Paul Seixas joins calls for greater rider safety following death of Finlay TarlingA WhatsApp group, ring-leaders, and a secretive operation – How the rider demonstration at Il Lombardia took shape'This shouldn't happen' – Paul Seixas calls for better race standards following Finlay Tarling's death
Analysed 3 sources, written and summarised with AI · How we work