Australian cyclist Maeve Plouffe says she was nearly hit by a car during the opening stage of the Tour of Britain Women, raising fresh concerns about rider safety just days after the death of British teenager Fin Tarling in an unrelated race. Plouffe, who rides for O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes, described being surrounded by public traffic from all directions on a roundabout while chasing back to the peloton after a puncture, calling the situation "scary" given the recent tragedy in the sport. British Cycling Ventures, which organises the race, said it was treating her comments "extremely seriously" and reviewing the incident with her team.

Plouffe's ordeal came before organisers held a tribute to Tarling, the 19-year-old brother of Ineos rider Josh Tarling, who died last week after colliding with a van during the Volta a Portugal. Stage two, a wet 110.5km ride from Clitheroe to Blackpool, brought further disruption, with the peloton diverted around lorries blocking the course and racing briefly halted for a road accident requiring emergency vehicles; three riders also crashed but were able to continue. The Netherlands' Lorena Wiebes won the stage sprint to retain the overall leader's jersey, now 14 seconds ahead of Italy's Chiara Consonni.