Sports

Tour of Britain: Stage winner Lorena Wiebes on Finlay Tarling death

Published

1 day ago

August 19, 2026

British rider Hayley Simmonds, holder of three British time trial records, has been vocal about safety for cyclists, particularly after she was involved in the abandonment of the Tour of the Pyrenees in 2023.

At the time, riders complained roads were not closed to traffic for the three-day race in south-west France.

Several teams pulled out before governing body the UCI officially cancelled the race with the unhappy organisers describing the women as “spoiled children”.

“Our response at the time was, ‘No, we just expect to be safe’,” Simmonds said.

“When you go out on your bike, you expect to get home safely.”

Recalling the event in 2023, the DAS Hutchinson rider said: “We were riding along a road and suddenly there was a car moving towards us in the opposite direction, coming towards you.

“And then you’re half thinking about that, half thinking about the race, and no race is worth losing your life over.

“And that’s why on stage three, we chose not to race. But it shouldn’t come down to riders having to stop in the middle of a stage and have a discussion about whether they feel safe on their bikes or not.”

So what’s the answer? While races in road cycling are set up by independent organisers, the UCI oversees most of the events and can set standards for race management.

Simmonds agrees action needs to be taken by the sport’s governing body.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily right or fair to say that the responsibility lies solely with one particular party. But ultimately, they should have some set of mandates that say we need proof that rider safety has been considered, and we need proof that the roads will be safe to ride on.

“I think you need real collaboration between the UCI and the race organisers. The UCI needs to be asking questions of the race organiser. Like, what group have you got doing the road closures and looking after the race? Do they actually have legal authority to stop all traffic? Do drivers have to respect that?”

Following the fatal crash involving Tarling, the UCI issued a statement saying it was “deeply saddened, and extended its deepest condolences to Finlay’s family, friends, and team-mates”, but has not made further comment since then.

Sports

McInnes' Rangers serve up stodgy 12-course banquet of huff and puff

Published

6 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

qasimgillani

Rangers beat Jablonec in the first leg of their Conference League play-off, but it wasn’t a pretty watch, writes Tom English.

Sports

Ronaldinho: Brazil legend in comeback with Italian side Ravenna aged 46

Published

11 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

qasimgillani

Brazil great Ronaldinho said he hopes he can score his 300th career goal after announcing a comeback at the age of 46 at Italian third-tier side Ravenna.

Thousands of fans gathered at a city beach for an event dubbed “Ronaldinho Day”, enduring rain to witness the unveiling of the former Paris St-Germain, Barcelona and AC Milan playmaker, who retired from playing in 2015.

“I’m very happy to be here with friends, we have a team that can do something good,” said Ronaldinho, who will become a shareholder in the Serie C side.

“Will you see me play? I don’t know, only the coach knows that. Coming back to Italy is wonderful, I’m here to help my teammates win.

“As you can see, I’m in shape, I feel good… If I could score my 300th goal, that would be even more beautiful.”

Ronaldinho ended his career in September 2015 when he played his last official match with Brazilian club Fluminense.

He won the World Cup in 2002, scoring the winning goal in the quarter-final against England, and the Ballon d’Or in 2005.

The forward’s comeback was first announced in June by Ignazio Cipriani, an Italian-American businessman and owner of the club since 2024, while he was attending the World Cup in Miami.

“His objective is romantic, to try to score his last goal,” said Cipriani on Thursday.

“His involvement is not a token gesture or a marketing stunt to get people talking about us.”

Cipriani added that Ronaldinho would not play against Reggiana on Monday in the Serie C season opener.

Ravenna finished third in Group B of last season’s third-tier championship and are seeking a return to Serie B, where they haven’t played since 2008.

Sports

Acun Ilicali: Hull owner hits out at pundits over ‘laughable’ criticism

Published

18 minutes ago

August 20, 2026

qasimgillani

Hull City owner Acun Ilicali has criticised pundits Joe Cole and Carlton Cole after they mocked his side’s chances of Premier League survival on a podcast.

Speaking on The Dressing Room podcast, former England and Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole said he had turned down the chance to be a pundit for their opening match – adding he would be “stunned if they stayed up”.

He joked: “They’ve come here through the back door. They’ve slipped in.”

Hull achieved promotion to the Premier League with a last-minute win over Middlesbrough in the play-off final at Wembley in May.

This season will be Hull’s first in the Premier League since 2017. They only survived relegation from the Championship to League One on goal difference in 2025.

Writing on social media, Ilicali said: “It is disappointing to see my beautiful city criticised by people who should know better.

“As a club we are used to being underestimated and we enjoy it, and we enjoyed it more when were promoted last season.

“For me, seeing two ex-players making fun of a deservedly promoted club, is more laughable than the things they were laughing at.”

On Thursday, Hull boss Sergej Jakirovic also addressed the issue.

“It is a great motivation to prove them wrong, if it’s possible,” he said.

“It will not be easy but at least we can fight there. We don’t have anything to lose. You play for yourself, and you show your potential on the pitch.”

Later Carlton Cole, who played for Chelsea and West Ham and made seven England appearances, posted a video defending the comments on the podcast, calling it “banter” saying he “loved Hull City“.

Hull, who have spent £70m on new signings this summer, play Manchester United on Saturday in their opening Premier League fixture.