Josh Tarling set the fastest time early on in the Tour de France’s stage 16 time trial, but the Netcompany-Ineos rider’s chances of staying at the top of the results sheet come the end were hampered by his ongoing recovery from a broken collarbone and a fractured rib.

Tarling, 22, posted a time of 34:21 on the course from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains on a course that headed inland up a climb, then descended back towards the southern shores of Lake Geneva. He was five seconds faster than his teammate Filipoo Ganna.

Though the parcours wasn’t entirely suited to his characteristics, Tarling, a winner of nine time trials in his pro career and two seconds off a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, would ordinarily have been one of the favourites for the stage.

But the Welshman crashed at mid-June’s Tour Auverge Rhône Alpes, breaking his collarbone and cracking a rib. He was able to start his maiden Tour just three weeks later, but admitted that his injuries have hampered him during the race.

“Before coming here my goal was top-5, but with the Dauphiné [the previous name for the Tour Auverge Rhône Alpes] and all the problems around that, I just hope to have done a good ride,” Tarling said.

Asked if he felt pain during the time trial, he answered: “A bit, in the ribs and the shoulder, but it’s coming back. It’s OK. I think all the race [he’s been affected]. I’ve just been healing. I had so much water weight at the start from all the healing.”

Analysing his performance, Tarling continued: “It’s too long for me, too long and hard, but for me I take it as a good chance to go full before the Worlds. I under-did the climb, I had too much left at the end. I think that pacing is not going to work [for the GC riders] but I did a good race.”

Just after Tarling began descending the climb, he had to swerve to avoid some fans who were crossing the road. Fortunately, he was able to and avoided any problems. “I looked up and there were people,” he said. “I didn’t have too much time to react and it was just carry on.”

Tarling is racing his first ever Tour and will be aiming to complete the remaining five stages. He hasn’t finish his previous two Grand Tours, the 2025 Giro d’Italia where he won a stage, and the 2024 Vuelta a España.

Fourteen years ago, Josh Tarling stood with his family on the Champs-Élysées in Paris for the final day of the Tour de France. He was eight years old at the time, already an avid cyclist himself, watching on in awe as the yellow jersey wearer Bradley Wiggins led out his team-mate Mark Cavendish for the stage victory.

That race finale has since gone down in British cycling legend. For Tarling, it’s his earliest memory of the Tour – a race that, as of this month, the Netcompany-Ineos rider is now part of. His debut, however, has not been smooth sailing.

Three weeks before the race opened in Barcelona, the 22-year-old crashed at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, suffering a broken collarbone that threatened to derail his Tour plans. That injury is now mended, thanks to a surgeon in Germany, but there’s a pain that’s still lingering: he’s riding with a cracked rib.

“I had a rough start, but it’s coming,” Tarling told Cycling Weekly of his form ahead of the first rest day. “You just have like a rev limiter, you know? I get to the point where I get out of breath, and then I can’t get it back.”

The heat hasn’t helped, either. This year’s edition of the Tour looks set to be one of the hottest on record, with temperatures already exceeding 40°C in the opening week. They’re conditions that are attritional enough, even for those with all their ribs intact.

“It hurts when I breathe anyway,” Tarling said. “With the heat as well, obviously you’re breathing harder and the pain’s catching up. It just feels airless.”

On stage one, the former European time trial champion helped Netcompany-Ineos to second place in the team time trial – just eight seconds off the victory. He has since spent the remaining days within the peloton or the gruppetto, saving his energy perhaps for stage 16’s individual test against the clock.

How has he found his Tour experience so far? “I’ve never been in a race where there’s constant crowds,” Tarling said. “Here it’s just all day crowds. It’s crazy.”

Fourteen years ago, the Welshman would have been at the roadside with them.

It’s credit to his resolve that he’s riding through his discomfort, even finding the joy in it, determined to live out the Tour dream of his eight-year-old self.

“He’s a tough cookie for sure,” his father, Michael, posted on Instagram before the start of the race.

His mother, Dawn, shared the same sense of pride. “If anyone had any doubt about the sheer grit and determination needed to be a pro cyclist this is it,” she said, commending her son’s three-week crash comeback.

“This young man has given us so many reasons to be proud on and off the bike but this is mind blowing.”

Netcompany-Ineos will "race aggressively" over the three weeks of the Tour de France, Geraint Thomas promised, as the team announced their lineup on Wednesday.

In the absence of GC-hopeful Oscar Onley, the team is packed with stage-hunting talent, although there is the possibility of general classification success too.

The eight riders are: Thymen Arensman, Egan Bernal, Tobias Foss, Filippo Ganna, Dorian Godon, Michał Kwiatkowski, Josh Tarling and Kévin Vauquelin.

"This team has some great racers who people love to watch," Thomas, the team's director of racing, said. "They’ll have the freedom to go for it and race aggressively across the three weeks. Fortune favours the brave. We didn't come to this Tour to follow the race - we came to shape it.

"Barcelona’s team time trial presents a great opportunity to start strongly. This year we’ve performed well in this discipline so will give it everything we’ve got. From there, it’s going to be full-on and we’re ready to take on the challenge."

Arensman won two stages of the Tour de France in the mountains last year, and comes into the race off the back of finishing fourth at the Giro d'Italia. He starts alongside 2021 Tour winner Egan Bernal, who finished 10th at the Giro.

"I'm super happy and proud to get selected for the Tour this year," Arensman said. "I think riding the Giro d’Italia is actually pretty good preparation and I’ve taken some time to recover and look after the body. I have some great memories from last year’s Tour and I’m motivated to be there again and see what we can deliver.

"We have a strong team and it’s a really good group dynamic which is always really important."

Vauquelin, meanwhile, will race the Tour for Ineos for the first time after he moved from Arkéa-B&B Hotels over the winter. He won a stage in 2024, and finished seventh overall last year, the highest Frenchman. It was not clear whether he would be targeting general classi

"As a French rider, the Tour is always an incredible thing to be part of," he said. "And this is my first with Netcompany-Ineos so it’s going to be even more special. This is a strong group and I am looking forward to racing aggressively, attacking and hunting for wins together."

Tarling, meanwhile, has made a remarkable recovery to be in shape for his debut Tour, after he broke his collarbone at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes last month.

"I’m just super happy and really looking forward to it," he said. "We’ve got a power team so I’m really excited with the team that we have for the TT and stages, so we’re going to have a good Tour together."

It was a special evening for Brits named Josh at the UCI Track World Championships on Friday, as Josh Tarling and Josh Charlton won their country’s first titles of the competition in Santiago, Chile.

Tarling, riding in his first event on debut, won the points race with a commanding display, closing down moves, gaining a lap, and winning three sprints. The Welshman’s 56 points gave him a winning margin of six over the USA’s Peter Moore, and a 100% record at the Track Worlds.

“It went to plan so far,” Tarling said post-race, after celebrating his maiden world title by draping a Union Jack over his shoulders.

“I didn’t know how [my first Track Worlds] would be or how it would feel, so not knowing was scary,” he said. “[In the race] I felt pretty good. I think it was good that I got those early points in just so I knew the legs were there.”

A former time trial bronze medallist at the UCI Road World Championships, the 21-year-old will have the chance to earn a second rainbow jersey on Sunday when he competes in the Madison alongside Mark Stewart.

“Now I think I have a little bit more of an idea of where we’re at and Mark’s in a good place as well, so it should be good,” he said.

Later on in the evening, Josh Charlton became the first British man to win the individual pursuit world title since Bradley Wiggins in 2008.

The 22-year-old European champion led his final with Denmark’s Rasmus Pedersen from the opening lap, stretching his advantage out to more than three seconds over the 4km. Charlton’s winning time of 4:04.122 was more than four seconds off his personal best – he broke the world record in qualifying last year with a 3:59.304 and went on to win silver – but comfortably enough to secure a maiden world title.

Elsewhere for Great Britain, Joe Truman scored back-to-back bronze medals in the kilometre time trial, placing behind the Dutch pair of Jeffrey Hoogland and Harrie Lavreysen, who successfully defended his title.

Having qualified second fastest, Truman clocked a time of 59.268 seconds in the final, more than a second behind Hoogland’s 58.163. Lavreysen won with a 57.978.

There was more Dutch glory on Friday night as Lorena Wiebes added omnium gold to her scratch race victory on the opening day, and Hetty van de Wouw won her first individual title in the women’s sprint. Great Britain’s Emma Finucane, the defending champion in the latter, was relegated out of the competition in the quarterfinals for entering her opponent’s sprinter’s lane.

The Track Worlds continue with their penultimate day on Saturday, when titles will be contested in the women’s kilometre time trial, women’s Madison, men’s omnium, and women’s individual pursuit.

Visit our streaming guide to find out how you can watch the action.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Josh Tarling is set to make his UCI Track World Championships debut next week.

The 21-year-old time trial specialist has been selected for the event in Santiago, Chile as part of Great Britain’s 22-rider squad, which counts both debutants and experienced track Olympians.

A two-time national champion inside the velodrome, Tarling’s last track race with GB came at the UCI Nations Cup round in Australia in February 2024, where he won gold with the team pursuit squad. In Santiago, he will compete in the points race and the Madison, alongside Mark Stewart, according to the entry list.

The pair are joined in the men’s endurance squad by Olympic silver medallist Charlie Tanfield, former individual pursuit world record holder Josh Charlton, 2023 scratch race world champion Will Tidball, Rapha Super-League winner Matt Bostock and debutant Michael Gill.

In the women’s endurance squad, double Olympic champion Katie Archibald will compete in the elimination race and the Madison, with debutant Maddie Leech, but will not feature in the team pursuit.

“The only other time I’ve not ridden the team pursuit at Worlds was 2017, so I find it a wee bit tricky,” Archibald said in a press conference this week. The 31-year-old began working with her brother, John, as a coach earlier this year, and has been training in Glasgow, with her eye on making the team pursuit squad for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

“It’s meant I’ve not been able to make the prep sessions [in Manchester] for team pursuit at Worlds,” she said. “Incidentally, because I’m not riding team pursuit at Worlds, my Hope bike will be ridden by one of the men’s team, because they have a really fresh cohort.”

The remaining three of last year’s world-title-winning squad – Josie Knight, Anna Morris and Megan Barker – will ride the team pursuit in Santiago, alongside Olympic bronze medallist Jess Roberts.

In the sprint events, Olympic champion Emma Finucane will look to earn her third individual sprint title in a row. The 22-year-old is the only one of the team sprint trio who won gold at the Paris Olympics competing at next week's Worlds. She will race alongside debutants Iona Moir, Rhianna Parris-Smith and Rhian Edmunds, with 2023 Worlds silver medallist Lauren Bell also competing across the sprint events.

Two months after breaking the 200m flying lap world record, Matthew Richardson will make his long-awaited Worlds debut for GB. The sprinter, who won three medals for Australia at last year's Olympics, swapped nationality to his birth country after the Games, and was ineligible for selection at last October's Worlds in Copenhagen.

Richardson will be joined by Harry Ledingham-Horn, Joe Truman and Hamish Turnball in the men’s sprint squad, which said farewell to the retiring Jack Carlin earlier this week.

Commenting on the squad, GB performance director Stephen Park said: “As we often see at this stage in an Olympic cycle, we have a great mix of world championship veterans and up and coming talent heading to Santiago.

“I’m looking forward to seeing where we sit among the other nations as all eyes turn to LA 2028.”

The full GB squad for the 2025 UCI Track World Championships in Santiago is below. The event will run from 22-26 October at the Velódromo Peñalolen.

Great Britain's 22-rider squad

Men’s Endurance
Matthew Bostock
Josh Charlton
Michael Gill
Mark Stewart
Josh Tarling
Charlie Tanfield
Will Tidball

Women’s Endurance
Katie Archibald
Meg Barker
Josie Knight
Maddie Leech
Anna Morris
Jessica Roberts

Men’s sprint
Harry Ledingham-Horn
Matthew Richardson
Joe Truman
Hamish Turnbull

Women’s Sprint
Lauren Bell
Rhian Edmunds
Emma Finucane
Iona Moir
Rhianna Parris-Smith

With the second rest day out of the way at the Giro d’Italia, the riders looking to challenge for the overall title immediately face a major challenge in the form of the 28.6 kilometre individual time trial between Lucca and Pisa.

Isaac del Toro carried the race leader’s pink jersey, the maglia rosa, into the rest day after claiming it in impressive style on the gravel stage to Siena, which was won by Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike). 21-year-old Del Toro will be the last man down the start ramp at 16:40 local time in Lucca (15:40 BST), with more than a minute over his teammate, Juan Ayuso, in second place in the overall standings.

The first rider down the start time will be Alexander Krieger of Tudor Pro Cycling at 13:20 CEST (12:20 BST), although the first riders to watch won't be on television until 1pm BST onwards.

The two main favourites for the stage are Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) and Van Aert himself. Tarling won the stage two time trial in Tirana and will be the man to beat this time out.

The first major contender to race will be Primož Roglič at 16:13 (15:13 BST). The Slovenian lost a chunk of time on the gravel stage on Sunday but will be hoping to immediately claim some of that back. Adam Yates (UAE Emirates-XRG) will start three minutes after Roglič before Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) gets his time trial underway at 16:22 (15:22 BST).

Climbers like Bernal and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) are not renowned time trial experts and will be riding purely with the aim of conserving as much time as possible before the high mountains arrive, but could surprise us all.

Pre-race favourite Ayuso (UAE Emirates-XRG) will start at 16:37 (15:37 BST) before Del Toro gets started at 16:40 (15:40 BST). You can see all the key times to make a note of below. Remember to factor in the hour ahead time difference to Italy if you’re tuning into live coverage from the UK this afternoon. Remember to check out our how to watch the Giro d'Italia guide.

Ineos Grenadiers continued to put their worst year on record behind them at Paris-Nice last week with a display of aggressive racing which team management said showcased the "fighting spirit" and resilience within the riders.

The team have been in good form this year, and the momentum continued at the Race to the Sun.

Ineos were on the attack throughout the race, getting Tobias Foss and Josh Tarling up the road and in the fight for stage wins. The end result was victory in the overall team classification, third overall through Thymen Arensman, and a final day stage win in Nice from Magnus Sheffield.

Speaking on the Promenade des Anglais, Ineos sports director Oli Cookson said that the team's current crop of talented "young and hungry" riders would ensure that they could continue their fine form in the months ahead.

"All of the team are in solid, solid shape and were hungry for this," he said. "I think all the guys really deserve it. The whole peloton has suffered all week in the weather and our guys have been warriors. I think with Magnus, it was a really great performance. He lives nearby and knows the roads, but we had a plan this week and knew that one would compliment the other."

The fine form this year started with Egan Bernal’s victories in both the road race and time trial at the Colombian national championships. Michał Kwiatkowski then took the team’s first pro win in 226 days at the Clásica Jaén in Spain.

"I think it's just one guy wins, and then it just goes from there," Sheffield said on Sunday evening as he assessed the team's current momentum. "You can talk about the culture too, and we have a motto in the team - all in. I think today, especially, was a true testament to that, we were all in for each other."

"I think it's been clear we've all got a little bit extra in us this year," Josh Tarling added. "I think there was a lot of talking last year about changing the mentality, but this year, there has been a lot more actual doing. I think you can feel it. Everybody's really motivated and there's the belief it'll work as well, which is the really nice part of that."

The team's management setup has undergone a significant overhaul in the last couple of years, with some of the fallout played out in public.

During last year’s Tour de France, the new setup was scrutinised and was likened to a "coalition government" by Geraint Thomas. Dan Bigham also left the team, hinting at issues between him and the team's performance director, Scott Drawer, and a lack of autonomy in his role on departure.

Tarling said that he felt the difficult dynamic was now in the past. "I just think we have really changed the coaching styles around," he said. "The training camps, they were sort of harder to survive [in the past], rather than being like a get together, if you get me. So it has been a really good, a really good change."

"I'm not sure there wasn't clarity before," Cookson added. "But I would say that we have a clear idea and we've worked a lot and talked a lot with the riders and the performance group about how we're going to race this year and our approach to it.

"I think the riders are also really enjoying racing, and if you can enjoy any job you do, it's really key. They're going out with a buzz and a fighting spirit and believe that they can define a race and engineer scenarios that will allow our objectives to be fruitful. Everyone's been involved, the riders and staff, in talking about this and moving it forward."

Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) delivered on his promise to go “all in” on the time trial at the UAE Tour, as he thundered to his second WorldTour victory since turning pro.

Just three days after his 21st birthday, the British time trial champion ruled supreme around stage two’s flat 12.2km circuit on Al Hudayriyat Island, clocking 12:55 across the line.

His average speed of 56.670km/h gave him a comfortable winning margin of 13 seconds over runner-up Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished third, 18 seconds down.

Ahead of the stage, Tarling vowed he would “go all in” for the victory, his first at WorldTour level since August 2023 at the Renewi Tour.

“I want it, I need it, and I think the team does as well,” he told Cyclingnews. “For the team, it'll get things rolling and for me as well, I would like to be in a bit better of a place, but I think I need a win after struggling with the confidence.”

Setting off 31st of 139 riders, Tarling ripped down the start ramp, and onto the waterfront course. So determined to win was the Brit, that he tagged and overtook his minute man just five minutes into his ride. He then pushed the limits of the corners, almost ending up in the sand at the roadside at one point, as he cannoned to victory.

“It was really windy,” Tarling said afterwards. “The first part was a headwind, and then there was a long crosswind section. The first part was the hardest. Then we got a bit of respite with the corners before the end. It was kind of two halves.

“From the end of last year, I had a bit of bad luck, and I kept coming second in the TTs with Remco [Evenepoel]. I needed this. I’m super happy,” he said.

The 21-year-old’s victory continued a winning streak for the Ineos Grenadiers, who also won on Monday, courtesy of Michał Kiwatkowski at the Clásica Jaén.

Tarling now leads the general classification at the UAE Tour by 13 seconds going into stage three, the first big climbing test with a summit finish on the 19km-long Jebel Jais.

“I think tomorrow’s going to be a big day,” the Brit said. “Hopefully I get a bit of confidence back now. I’m excited for the rest [of the season].”

Ineos Grenadiers rider Josh Tarling has said his team is “not broken” and "will be class" with a few changes, in light of recent criticism around the squad’s performance.

The British WorldTour team recorded its least successful season ever in 2024, in terms of victories, collecting 14 wins. This is down from 38 in 2023, and 50 at its peak under the Team Sky moniker in 2012.

Speaking at Rouleur Live on Saturday, where he was questioned about his team's shortcomings, Tarling maintained an optimistic tone, saying it's in a “rough patch”, but the riders are looking forward to next season.

“I think it’s not broken. It’s a team, isn’t it? It’s not like an object,” the 20-year-old said. “I re-signed literally not long ago. I think to jump ship on a team when it’s maybe not where we want to be is like giving up, isn’t it?

“They’ve changed a load of stuff and there’s a load of new people coming in. Everyone’s trying, the mentality’s different, and the coaching’s different.”

Last month, Ineos announced an overhaul of their staff, including a new lead performance coach, head of engineering, and sports directors. The recently appointed staff are “highly motivated, hungry and ambitious”, said performance director Scott Drawer, and “want to create an environment that allows our riders to fulfil their potential.”

There were also notable exits from the team, with performance engineer Dan Bigham joining Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, and director of racing Steve Cummings announcing his departure.

Tarling is now at the end of his second season with Ineos Grenadiers, and is contracted until the end of 2027. This year, he contributed two victories to the squad’s tally, winning the opening stage of O Gran Camiño and retaining his British national time trial title in the team’s colours.

“I joined the team with all these winners. In my head, it’s never gone down,” he said. “These races are so hard to win. You get luck and you get bad luck. We’re in a rough patch, but we’ve got all the tools, all the equipment and all the riders… With a few changes, it’ll be class.

“We can only go up. There’s been a lot of bad media. It would be nice to be part of turning it around. Some people can do one,” he added, drawing a laugh from the audience.

Recent reports have focused on Tom Pidcock’s relationship with the team, which has been turbulent over the past year. The 25-year-old was also at Rouleur Live last week, where, asked if he had greater clarity over his future at Ineos, he replied “no”.

“I’m never gonna lie,” Pidcock said. “It’s true, we’ve had a difficult year, I’ve had a difficult year. It’s not what we wanted but I do see a lot of positive changes and, of course, everyone accepts that it’s difficult – it’s the first thing you have to do if you want to change it. We’re seeing those changes happening. I do hope that it can be turned around.”

Tarling, who also spoke about his Olympic debut and time trial beginnings, said there was “not a lot of pressure” on him and his teammates to perform next season.

“No one’s pressured to get better, because everybody wants to get better and get back to winning,” the 20-year-old said. “Everyone’s looking forward, but not too far forward… Everyone’s looking at next year. First race, let’s win it.”

“Not good, mate,” was Josh Tarling's assessment of his effort in the time trial at the UCI Road World Championships on Sunday afternoon.

A bronze medallist last year, the Brit finished 23 seconds short of the podium in Zurich, Switzerland, where Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) soared to victory to defend his world title. 

Tarling got off to a fast start on the 46.1km course, placing third at the first of three time checks, just 12 seconds behind the leader, Evenepoel. He then lost time on the climb to the second check, which he was unable to pull back on the flat drag along Lake Zurich. His finishing time of 54:18 left him 1:17 adrift of gold. 

As he walked through the media zone afterwards, the 20-year-old cut a downbeat figure. “I never got going,” he said. “I conserved and then never emptied, and then I was empty, if you get me? It never came to me.” 

Tarling had felt the same feeling of disappointment at the Paris Olympics last month, where he also finished fourth, having held hopes of winning. 

“I’m not where I want to be. I just had a rough time,” Tarling said. "I cracked after the Olympics and then had a bad Vuelta [a España], and just messed up. It didn't go well. 

“I just feel bad for everyone that put more in than me, in terms of the bike and the equipment and BC [British Cycling] with all the help. I just let myself down with the training. I basically felt sorry for myself and let some people down."

The young time trialist, perhaps overly critical of himself, was still stronger than a lot of the WorldTour’s most powerful specialists. Even on a self-professed bad day, Tarling clocked an average speed of almost 51km/h at the finish line, faster than former world champion Tobias Foss (Norway), and 2021 Olympic gold medallist Primož Roglič (Slovenia), among the 59 starters. 

At August's Olympics, the Brit finished two seconds off bronze medallist Wout van Aert, after suffering a cruel puncture on the wet Parisian roads. He went on to make his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta later that month, where he placed sixth in the opening day time trial, before withdrawing on stage nine. 

His next competition will be the six-stage Cro Race in Croatia with Ineos Grenadiers next month. “I’m going to try and get it going again for some of the guys in the rest of the season, but we’ll see,” he said in Zurich, adding with an eye on next year’s World Championships: “Onto [20]25, eh?”

Josh Tarling doesn't remember how many time trials he won as a junior. As he sits opposite Cycling Weekly on a video call, he looks over his laptop screen, hoping to pluck a number out of the office air at British Cycling's Manchester headquarters. It's not that it was that long ago for the Brit, who only turned 20 in February. It's that, quite simply, he has lost count.

"Um," he begins, trying to force his memory. "It sounds bad, but I don't think I lost many… and if I didn't win, there'd be an excuse somewhere." 

Since the age of 12, Tarling has been honing the craft of time trialling. In 2022, the year before he turned pro with Ineos Grenadiers, he won nine out of the 10 time trials in which he competed. He then became the European champion the following year, aged just 19, and will make his Olympic debut this Saturday as one of the favourites for gold. 

Asked what his ambitions are for Paris, Tarling offers back a one-word response: "Win." It's the same attitude that he has held throughout his young career, a strength of will that took root as early as his first-ever time trial – a two-up he did with his dad, Michael, shortly after his 12th birthday. 

"It was the same course as my dad's first TT," the 20-year-old remembers, "so we wanted to do it as a two-up to see if I was any good." The verdict quickly became clear. Even today, his dad jokes, "my legs are still aching".

A keen racer himself, Michael was a constant figure in the local time trial scene. It's thanks to him that Josh's passion for cycling began to grow. How much does he remember from his son's first time trial? "To be fair, quite a bit, because it was horrible," he laughs. 

"He started when he was 12, because you have to be 12 to do a TT on open roads. I think it was either late February or early March. It was down in Slimbridge in Gloucestershire, and it was a two-up 25[-mile event] down the A38. It kind of went off around the lanes and back for two laps. It was probably the last time I did a decent turn [riding with Josh], to be honest."

From there, Josh's appetite grew. Still only 12 years old, he signed up to a 100-mile event, set along the carriageways near his home in Aberaeron, West Wales. "It was silly," he remembers. "I wanted to do it. I used to ride for a club and a lot of people used to do it. I think I was the youngest one to do it."

At the time, Michael was preparing for an Ironman event, and entered the time trial as part of his training plan. His son tagged along. "It was a big sausage-shaped circuit," Michael says, "and you do bits of it twice. My parents, and my wife Dawn's parents, and a family friend who was riding, and his family were at various bits along the course. The plan was that [Josh] was going to ride as long as he wanted, and then jump in the car at the next lay-by and come and watch me finish. As it turns out, I didn't finish and he did."

Josh completed the course in four hours, 49 minutes and 14 seconds, with an average speed of 20.7mph. It was, according to Michael, yet another sign of a "determined streak" he first noticed in his son when he was eight years old, battling through a wet and windy sportive in Pembrokeshire. 

"We knew pretty much straight away that there was no way he was going to stop," Michael says of that day. "It was like that with the 100-mile TT too. We all assumed that he wasn't going to finish, and because we all assumed that, he was absolutely determined he was going to finish."

Into his teenage years, Josh and his younger brother Fin, now 17 and set to join Israel Premier Tech's development team, became regular competitors in Ystwyth Cycling Club's weekly 10-mile time trial, held on a Wednesday night. It was over this distance that the now Ineos Grenadiers rider first realised his own talent. 

"When I did my first club 10 in Wales, I wanted to do sub-30 [minutes], so 20mph, and I think I did like 27 [minutes] or something, so I was quite a bit under," he says. "Then we kept doing them, and kept trying to set little milestones. I think only a couple of years later, we tried to do sub 20."

In 2019, aged 15, Josh broke the juvenile 10-mile record, stopping the clock at 18 minutes and 55 seconds – a speed of 31.7mph. Three years later, his brother Fin broke it again, shaving off 47 seconds on the same course outside Aylesbury. Josh has since managed "low 17s" as a senior over 10 miles, a speed of around 35mph, which he says is "not that fast". 

Growing up, Josh ran, swam and did athletics, before settling on cycling. He raced criteriums and road events, most of which ended in a bunch dash to the line. "Josh was never the best sprinter in the country by a long way," his dad says, "so there were a lot of times when he would be quite frustrated".

What really appealed to him was the "all-in" nature of time trialling. "You'd just do one big effort," Josh says. "Strongest wins, and I quite liked that about the TTs."

He would toy with Fin on a Wednesday night, sending his little brother onto the course a minute early to then try and catch him. "He got pretty quick," Josh smiles. "He got further and further into it before I caught him." 

For weekend races, which involved trips across the UK, Belgium, France and the Netherlands, the family would bundle into their campervan, together with their pack of Springer Spaniels. The local Wednesday night trips were more straightforward. "We'd probably get McDonald's on the way back," Josh says. 

Michael laughs at the memory. "He shouldn't have said that," he says, but doesn't deny the facts. "Often the two of them [Josh and Fin] would ride up, do the 10, and then we would drive back again because it was getting dark, and always stop at McDonald's." 

The fastfood chain, it turns out, wasn't only reserved for dinner time. "There's a McDonald's on the way to one of the fast courses in South Wales, so many a Sunday morning breakfast was in McDonald's, and then they'd go and smash a time trial."

Now in the early years of his pro career, Josh has remained vocal in his support of the scene that made him who he is today. His home now is in Andorra, but ahead of last year's National Championships, he returned to the UK to get his eye in with a local 50-mile time trial, which he won by over 25 minutes. He then went on to win the Nationals – a feat he repeated again this June – before taking home a bronze medal from the World Championships in Glasgow. 

"I think it's such an advantage that you can get from the UK," he said after his Worlds podium. "There aren't many places where you can pull on a skinsuit on a Wednesday night and just hurt yourself."

As he looks back on those school nights spent racing, Josh has no trouble pinpointing the skills he picked up. "It helped with the engine a lot," he says, "and I feel comfortable on a TT bike. I don't have any problems cornering or sitting in a horrible position. It made me pretty versatile to changes in position." 

Back then, he says, he never felt like he was racing against other riders. "You were sort of racing yourself. You've got your own record, your own fastest time, or your fastest time on that course. You just go in for that every time, and a bit faster. 

"The by-product is winning the event, if you get me? It was more just about trying to get my fastest time. Now, with the UCI races, it's trying to win the event, but back then it was more about new PBs."

His next race, the Olympic time trial, is all about the win. On Saturday, Josh's family will be by the roadside, as they always are, this time swapping the lumpy Welsh lanes for the boulevards of central Paris. His chances are good; the bookmakers have him as odds-on. Still, perhaps trying to play down expectations, Josh says he doesn't see himself as a favourite. 

"I know other people do," he says. "In my eyes, I watch [Filippo] Ganna, and I watch Remco [Evenepoel], and other people as well, like Magnus [Sheffield] and [Brandon] McNulty and Wout [van Aert], and I almost don't link myself to their level.

"Any pressure will be put on by me to do the performance rather than, 'I'm a favourite, I need to win,'" Josh says. He pauses. "I just want to win," he adds with a smile.

The Olympic men's time trial begins at 15:32 BST on Saturday 27 July, and counts a flat 32.4km course. 

Defending mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock, European time trial champion Josh Tarling, and world track sprint champion Emma Finucane are among the first riders officially selected to represent Team GB at next month's Paris Olympics. 

Team GB made the first of two squad announcements on Monday, listing 21 athletes selected across track, road and mountain bike disciplines. 

Pidcock will compete in both the men's cross-country mountain bike event and the road race in Paris. Newly crowned national road champion Ethan Hayter will also race across disciplines, as part of the road and track squad. 

Joining Pidcock and Hayter in the road squad will be former national champion Fred Wright and La Flèche Wallonne winner Stevie Williams, as well as Tarling, who will carry British hopes in the time trial. 

The men's track endurance squad will comprise Ollie Wood, Ethan Vernon, Dan Bigham and Hayter – the four riders who won the team pursuit world title in 2022. Charlie Tanfield is also part of the squad, while Mark Stewart will travel as a reserve. 

The women's track sprint squad, which failed to qualify for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, return to the Olympics this year as medal favourites across the three events (team sprint, keirin and individual sprint). Finucane will race alongside Sophie Capewell and Rio bronze medallist Katy Marchant in the team sprint. Lowri Thomas will be the team’s reserve rider. 

Tokyo silver and bronze medallist Jack Carlin leads the men's track sprint squad, alongside Hamish Turnball, Ed Lowe, and travelling reserve Joe Truman.  

“We’re blessed with an incredibly talented, passionate and hungry squad of riders,” said performance director Stephen Park. “We are now fully focused on supporting their final preparations so that they can be at their very best come Paris.”

Team GB is yet to announce the women's road squad, women's track endurance squad, and BMX squads for the Games. A second squad announcement is expected on 4 July. 

Last week, it was revealed that two-time gold medallist Katie Archibald will miss this year's Olympics, after breaking her ankle in a freak accident. 

"I tripped over a step in the garden and managed to, somehow, dislocate my ankle; break my tibia and fibula; and rip two ligaments off the bone," Archibald wrote on Instagram. "A hundred apologies for what this means for the Olympic team, which I've been told won't involve me."

The cycling events at the Paris Olympics begin on 27 July with the men's and women's time trials, and conclude with the final races on the track on 11 August. The road races will take place on the weekend of 3-4 August, starting and finishing in front of the Eiffel Tower. 

The 21 riders selected in the first squad announcement are listed below. 

Riders selected in first squad announcement

Men’s road: 
Ethan Hayter (TT only)
Tom Pidcock
Josh Tarling (TT and road race)
Stevie Williams
Fred Wright 

Men’s track endurance:
Dan Bigham
Ethan Hayter
Charlie Tanfield
Ethan Vernon
Ollie Wood
Mark Stewart (reserve)

Women’s track sprint: 
Sophie Capewell
Emma Finucane
Katy Marchant
Lowri Thomas (reserve)

Men’s track sprint:
Jack Carlin
Ed Lowe
Hamis Turnball
Joe Truman (reserve)

Men’s mountain bike:
Tom Pidcock
Charlie Aldridge

Women’s mountain bike:
Evie Richards
Ella Maclean-Howell

Josh Tarling stormed to a second successive victory at the British National Time Trial Championships on Wednesday afternoon. 

The current reigning European champion was untouchable on the course in North Yorkshire. Tarling took the honours with a time of 39:21:50. Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan Development Team) was second, 1:14 behind Tarling. 

Ethan Vernon (Israel-Premier Tech) took third and finished 1:24 back on the Welshman. 

Tarling's dominance on the course meant that he was already almost a minute clear of his rivals at the halfway time check, 15km in. His advantage only ticked upwards as the course rolled on in Catterick, and he tore around the countryside in his European champion’s jersey. 

Speaking post-race, Tarling said he had felt a little on edge before taking to the course due to the Olympics gradually getting closer. 

"I felt a bit nervous," he said. "There was a few guys on good form here and everything is getting closer to the Olympics now, this was one of the last chances to get another TT in, so I felt a bit stressed." 

"I just committed and then tried to hang on," he added as he reflected on his performance."

"Last year, I guess if you blew up you could still roll pretty fast. But here it's long and straight, there wasn't any breathers or small corners to free wheel on, it was like one big section. So I think on the second lap I was about 3 or 4kmph slower. It was way harder."

Sam Watson (Groupama-FDJ) put in a solid ride, but missed out on a spot on the podium by 13 seconds. Behind Tarling, Ineos Grenadiers' next best-placed rider was Conor Swift who took fifth with a time of 41:09:04. Former national champion Ethan Hayter placed seventh, coming in 2:13 down. 

Similarly to the elite women’s race, won by Anna Henderson, the course started and finished in the Catterick Military Centre. The 30km route involved two ascents of the Throstle Gill climb which added up to 512 metres of elevation gain in total. 

Tarling was no stranger to a time trial course with a sting in its tail. The Welshman previously won a bronze medal in the time trial at the World Championships in Scotland last summer, which featured a gruelling final climb to Stirling Castle. His past form meant he was the outright favourite going into the race. 

At the intermediate time check, Tarling’s time of 19:21:42 immediately set him on the path to a second national title in a row. Watson was the only man  near him, but was still almost a minute back at 20:15:30. 

With Tarling set to win, all the attention turned towards who would challenge for the runner up spot behind him. John Archibald was ruled out of contention after a mechanical issue with his bike forced him to withdraw. 

Hayter was in contention in the early stages, recording a time of 20:15:62 at the 15km point, but faded in the second half of the race and slipped out of the top three. 

Tarling kept up his monstrous pace on the second lap of the course meaning that he would eventually pass the rider who went off just before him, Charlie Tanfield (Saint Piran) which underlined his superiority. 

The Welshman crossed the line with a time of  39:21:50 to wrap up a second consecutive title and held an average speed of 45.74 km/h. 

Tomos Pattinson (Visma-Lease a Bike development team) won the under-23 men's title with a time of 42:06 in Catterick. He was pushed all the way by Ben Wiggins (Hagens Berman Jayco) who finished just 10 seconds back, with Joshua Golliker (Groupama-FDJ conti) a further eight seconds down. 

Wiggins was quickest at the intermediate time check at 15km, but dropped off the pace as the race continued meaning he narrowly missed out on a British national champion's jersey. 

Last year's winner Josh Charlton finished 11th with a time of 43:21. 

Results

British National Road championships: men's elite time trial (30km)

1. Josh Tarling, Ineos Grenadiers, in 39:21
2. Max Walker, Astana Qazaqstan development team, +1:14
3. Ethan Vernon, Israel-Premier Tech, +1:24
4. Sam Watson, Groupama-FDJ, + 1:37
5. Conor Swift, Ineos Grenadiers, +1:48
6. Oliver Knight, Cofidis, + 1:58
7. Ethan Hayter, Ineos Grenadiers, +2:13
8. Finlay Pickering, Bahrain Victorious, 2:15
9. Charlie Tanfield, Saint Piran, 3:01
10. Zeb Kyffin, TdT-Unibet, +3:02

British national road championships: under-23 men's time trial 

1. Tomos Pattinson, Visma-Lease a Bike development team, in 42:06
2. Ben Wiggins, Hagens Berman Jayco, +10s
3. Joshua Golliker, Groupama-FDJ Conti, +18s
4. Joshua Giddings, Lotto Dstny devlopment, +20s
5. Mattie Todd, Tirrol KTM, +25s
6. Cormac Nisbet, Soudal Quick-Step development, +30s
7. Rowan Baker, Saint Piran, +49s
8. Jamie Whitcher, BmthCycleWorks, +50s
9. Jack Brough, Aix en Provence, +53s
10. Noah Hobbs, Groupama-FDJ conti, +1:13

Two-time world time trial champion Filippo Ganna knows he has young Brit Josh Tarling snapping at his heels ahead of the Olympics. So much so, that the Italian says his Ineos Grenadiers teammate motivates him to go faster against the clock. 

Tarling, who became European time trial champion at just 19 years old last year, is one of the scene's most promising young talents. The now 20-year-old will compete for Team GB at the Paris Olympics this July, where both he and Ganna will go as gold medal contenders in the time trial. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, the Italian said he is hoping for a "good fight" with his young teammate. 

"I think Josh is one of the best riders at the moment," Ganna said. "He's European champion, and has a lot of victories also in the TT. He's young, but really, really strong. I hope he can be a good fight for me. For sure, he's one of the motivations I have for training well, so I can beat him."

Tarling is yet to better Ganna in a time trial since turning pro at the start of 2023. The duo faced off twice last year, placing first and second at the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie, and second and third at the UCI World Championships, behind winner Remco Evenepoel. 

At this summer's Olympics, both the men and women will tackle the same flat 32.4km course, which heads east through the centre of Paris, and counts a number of sharp turns. 

On Thursday, GB coach Matt Brammeier posted a picture on X of Tarling and Anna Henderson under the Eiffel Tower, on a recon ride of the course. "57 days," Brammeier wrote, counting down to the race. "Starting to feel a bit real now."

Tarling has made no secret in recent months of his ambitions for the Games. "I'm going to Paris to win," he told The Guardian in April. "I'd like to do the road race as well, but it depends, because there's only four spots. I also want to do the Madison on the track. So I'd like to win the Madison and the TT."

Team GB's selection for the Olympics is not yet finalised, and is expected to be announced in the next month. Tarling's place on the track is not guaranteed, although he has featured in the team pursuit squad this year; he was part of the team that won gold at the Nations Cup round in Adelaide, Australia in February. 

The men's time trial will take place on 27 July, starting and finishing at Invalides in the centre of Paris. 

Josh Tarling turns just 20 this week, on Valentine’s Day to be exact, yet the Welshman will likely head to the Olympics in Paris this summer as one of GB’s best hopes of at least one cycling medal. 

The Ineos Grenadiers rider, European time trial champion no less, will head to Paris as one of the favourites for the race against the clock.

If it feels weird to describe a 20-year-old, in his second year as a pro, as a favourite for one of the biggest races of the year, it shouldn’t. In 2023, Tarling won the British nationals, came third at the World Championships, won a WorldTour time trial at the Renewi Tour, and the European title and then the Chrono des Nations. It was some year.

“It's cool, innit,” Tarling told Cycling Weekly of his status as a favourite. “It's defo cool. I try to block it out though, because otherwise I end up thinking about it.”

He will be ready for the event, his “main goal” for the season, with a look at the course already on the cards. The 34.2km route is one for pure rouleurs, with barely any elevation on the out-and-back loop from central Paris via the Bois de Vincennes.

“The coaches have reconned the course for me, and sent a few videos over,” Tarling explained. “We're going over, maybe after the Classics at some point. We'll have a look when the clocks go back. We can head out really early in the morning with no traffic. It looks good, it looks kind of perfect for me.”

The time trial will likely not be his only shot at Olympic glory, however. He is in contention to race on the track too, as part of the team pursuit squad. 

“The challenge with the Olympics is that the number of riders you get is so complicated,” men’s endurance coach Ben Greenwood told CW last year. “It’s not like a World Championships where you pick who you want, in theory. You’ve got four [men’s endurance] riders for the track, and you can bring a fifth one in from another discipline. Realistically, it’s going to be someone from the road team that could do that.”

“It's looking good actually,” Tarling said of his chance to join the TP squad. “They went quick in the Euros, and it's a really nice group. I think I fit in well. There are a select number of riders the federation can take, so it helps to be on the road and track.

“I started maybe in December, November actually. I always used to go on the track anyway, so it was pretty easy to slip back in. I did a couple of small track races to qualify for this World Cup [Track Nations Cup] year. We've had a few camps recently, to get ready for the Euros and then the Adelaide Nations Cup.”

With the power that Tarling can put out on the road, he would be a shoe-in for many team pursuit lineups, but the riders GB have at their disposal mean he is not an automatic selection. 

GB won gold at the Euros last month, with a quintet of Dan Bigham, Ethan Hayter, Ethan Vernon, Ollie Wood and Charlie Tanfield. One of these would have to make way for Tarling.

The Welshman, however, was part of the squad - also containing Tanfield, Rhys Britton, Will Tidball and Josh Charlton, who won gold at the Track Nations Cup in Adelaide last week. 

He is definitely in the mix, with his almost guaranteed inclusion in the road squad working in his favour. It is set to be a big year for Tarling.

Ineos Grenadier's world-beating team pursuit?

Men’s WorldTour teams don’t tend to dabble in track cycling, but Ineos Grenadiers have, supporting their performance engineer Dan Bigham to the Hour Record, and then doing the same for their star rider, Filippo Ganna.

Perhaps they could do more, though, with the track talent they have on their hands - could a tilt at the team pursuit record be on the cards? Ineos have a history of supporting projects like this, with the brand also behind Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-two hour marathon.

Cycling Weekly put our idea of the all-star TP to Tarling, who did not immediately bat it away.

“Yeah,” he agreed with the strength on offer. “We've got me, [Filippo] Ganna, Elia [Viviani], and Ethan [Hayter]. And Dan [Bigham], we'll stick to just riders though. Elia would start it, then Ganna, then me, then Ethan. Maybe I'd go last, but I can't start very well. I need all the track help.”

It could be one for the road off-season, but it does not seem as outlandish as at first glance. Imagine the power.

Ineos Grenadiers new CEO, John Allert, has outlined the team’s goals for 2024 which includes aiming to recapture the Grand Tour dominance of old which underlined their former identity as Team Sky.

Allert was promoted to chief executive officer in December last year and will take control of the team’s operations on a day to day basis moving forward. He will report directly to Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc after Brailsford previously moved into the role of Head of Sport, overseeing all of the projects within the wider Ineos Sport group 

The team’s new CEO explained that the Grenadiers have plenty of work to do in order to move back to the top of cycling’s pyramid of elite teams. Allert said that the Tour de France remains a major goal for the squad as he discussed the team’s ambitions moving forward into the new year.  

“For me, this is a very exciting period,” Allert told the press, including Cycling Weekly. “I think it’s fair to say that we’re the hunter, not the hunted and that puts a slightly different complexion of things. We’ve clearly transitioned from one leadership to a new leadership, and we’ve got an exciting rider group and we’ve made a good start to the season. I feel a lot of optimism within the team, and in the sport.”

During the off-season Rod Ellingworth resigned as deputy team principal and Allert was later appointed CEO. Dr Scott Drawer came on board as performance director and Steve Cummings became head of racing. 

Allert talked the media through the team’s new hierarchy and was clear that Brailsford will still be involved with the cycling project moving forward, despite recently stepping back from day to day involvement with the team. 

Brailsford will now be heavily involved at Manchester United after Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently added the football club to the wider Ineos Sport portfolio. 

Allert said: “Dave is the godfather of the team and he’s the founder of the team. It’s a privilege that he’s still accessible to the team. He clearly has responsibilities across several sports, and not just cycling.

“Although Dave has greater bandwidth than anyone I’ve ever worked with, his first and primary focus is on a variety of sports teams. Clearly, he has a passion and proven track record for cycling, so don’t ever be surprised to see him come on race but he won’t be at races to mark our homework. He’ll be coming on race to help the team, as he does all the teams."

Ineos have let several big name riders move on during the off season including Tao Geoghegan Hart who signed for Lidl-Trek. Allert explained that he has huge faith in the “exciting” crop of talent that the team still has on board including time trial sensation Josh Tarling. 

"I think all of the riders who left our team, whether those offers were financially attractive or were opportunities that they felt they wanted or needed, we wish them well," Allert said.   

"Rider turnover happens every year and some of those riders were riders that brought the team great success and we thank them for that and hope they succeed wherever they go."

"I think everybody can see that at the moment there are some pretty outstanding GC riders. I believe that we have a number of outstanding GC riders too – both experienced, proven GC riders. We have two winners in the team. We also have a phenomenal next generation of riders," he added.  

"Our objectives are to get as close to the top of the podium in the Tour and any Grand Tour or in any race for that matter. Whether or not that's this year or next year remains to be seen. We know the competition is stiff.

"I think sometimes people mistakenly think that we've had a diffusion of focus. But that’s always been the DNA of the team. That continued from our previous owners into the Ineos ownership and the ambition is the same. 

"With that comes an identity that I think certainly to those inside the team is crystal clear. And that is why we're a GC team, first and foremost and want to be on the top step of the podium. That's it."

Allert backed the team’s new head of performance, Dr Drawer, to succeed and explained that he feels he will be instrumental in helping the team get back on level pegging with the likes of Visma-Lease a Bike and UAE Emirates across all of cycling’s Grand Tours. 

He said: "Our mission is clearly more than to catch up to those teams that have succeeded over the last couple of years, it's to find ways of overtaking them.

"They've found ways of not just echoing what we did but innovating themselves. That's how they've got themselves to the position they're in. That's part of the joy of elite sport, that each generation finds ways to out-perform and out-innovate the one that precedes it. 

"I think it's no coincidence that the person responsible for our sporting performance [Dr Scott Drawer] is a scientist. He's an innovator, he's a proven disrupter. He embraces technology, data and science. 

"I don't think that alone will provide us with the answer but certainly, we're going to leave no stone unturned in terms of trying to innovate our competition."

Nineteen-year-old Josh Tarling is in contention to race on the track at the 2024 Olympics, GB men's endurance coach Ben Greenwood has revealed. 

The Ineos Grenadiers time trial specialist has been training with the Team GB set-up, and could feature in the team pursuit quartet in Paris next summer. 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Greenwood described Tarling's power data as "Ganna-esque" - reminiscent of the team pursuit Olympic gold medalist and Hour Record holder Filippo Ganna - and explained that the teenager is now likely to travel with the GB squad to key events on the road to the 2024 Olympics. 

“He’s obviously a very talented young rider who’s got big power in the time trial,” Greenwood said. “One of the first things he said to me was, ‘I just want to come on the track and go fast.’”

Last month, Tarling rode his first velodrome bunch events in over a year, taking part in the Four Days of Geneva competition in Switzerland. His next event will be this weekend's Track Cycling Challenge in Grenchen, Switzerland, before he joins the GB team pursuit squad - world champions in 2022 - in their sessions before Christmas.

"The primary focus for Josh remains road racing, time trialling. But Dario [Cioni, Ineos Grenadiers coach who also trains Ganna] felt that it would be a good opportunity to get him on the track, get him training on it and get him racing on it.

“We’re just getting him involved with the training environment with the older lads to see how he fits into it,” Greenwood added. 

“It’s definitely of interest to see what he can do. The challenge with the Olympics is that the number of riders you get is so complicated. It’s not like a World Championships where you pick who you want, in theory. You’ve got four [men’s endurance] riders for the track, and you can bring a fifth one in from another discipline. Realistically, it’s going to be someone from the road team that could do that.” 

Tarling will likely lead British hopes in the individual time trial in Paris, having recently become the European champion. Earlier this summer, he sealed a bronze medal at the Glasgow World Championships, where he set out to average 455 watts over an hour.   

Greenwood told Cycling Weekly the teenager is now among “up to 10” men’s endurance riders in the mix for Olympic track selection.  

“It’s a healthy squad,” the coach said. “You’ve got some really talented young ones. Will Tidball and Ethan Vernon are both bunch race world champions. Mark Stewart did a really good Madison at Worlds, as well. We have a lot of depth.

“From my perspective, it would be daft with anyone out there not to get a proper look at them and see where they’re at.” 

In the run-up to Paris next year, Team GB will travel to Nations Cup events in Australia, Hong Kong and Canada, where the men’s team pursuit squad will seek valuable Olympics qualifying points. The quartet’s spot was thrown into uncertainty after a disastrous crash at the World Championships, where they bowed out in the opening heats. 

Great Britain's Josh Tarling crushed his competition to win the elite men's individual time trial at the European Championships on Wednesday by a margin of 42 seconds, at just 19-years-old.

The Welshman was the favourite for the race in Emmen, The Netherlands, being the only podium finisher from the World Championships last month to take to the start line, and well and truly lived up to his top billing, setting an average speed of 56.762km/h over the 29.8km course. His finishing time was 31-30.01.

Stefan Bissegger of Switzerland finished second, 42.92 seconds behind Tarling, with Belgium's Wout van Aert third by a two tenths of a second. Having won the British National Time Trial Championships last month, Tarling will now forego the red, white and blue bands in time trials for the next year in favour of the blue and white bands of European champion.

On a flat course reminiscent of a British out-and-back time trial, Tarling always looked strong. He was fastest at the first time check, four seconds ahead of Van Aert and nine seconds ahead of Switzerland's Stefan Küng. At the second time check, he was ahead of the pair by 28 and 29 seconds respectively, before extending that lead by the end.

Küng looked set for a good time, but a crash in the final couple of kilometres saw him drop out of contention, and cross the finish line bloodied.

Tarling, already a winner at WorldTour level after winning a stage of the Renewi Tour last month with Ineos Grenadiers, will now head into 2024 with his position as a pre-eminent time triallist intact.

"It was hard," the Welshman said. "I felt weaker today than I did in the worlds. The wind was really hard. Originally it was a lot of over and under with the crowsswind, but it changed to more steady cross both ways, with no tailwind or headwind. It was just about holding high power all day, and it was really hard."

He will now head to Cro Race next week before riding the Chrono des Nations time trial next month alongside his brother Finlay Tarling.

Tarling was Great Britain's third medallist of Wednesday, following Zoe Bäckstedt's triumph in the under-23 women's individual time trial, and Anna Henderson finishing second in the elite women's ITT.

Switzerland's Marlen Reusser won the elite women's race to take her third consectuive title, with Henderson finishing 43 seconds behind. The latter finished narrowly off the podium at the World Championships last month, so a silver medal will be a confidence boost heading into the off-season.

In fact, Henderson beat the woman who knocked her off the podium by two seconds at the Worlds, Christina Schweinberger of Austria, by one second to seal second place.

"It was four straight lines really," she said post-race. "The Netherlands put on a really tough course. Technically maybe not so hard, but mentally and physically really hard. It was a time triallist's course. I was really happy with my ride, I tried to pace it well. The wind was really hard, but I think I put up with it quite well."

"I set the goal of top five today, so to make it on the podium would be really special."

Nineteen-year-old Josh Tarling ticked off a major career milestone on Thursday when he claimed his first WorldTour victory with a stage win at the Renewi Tour. 

The teenager won the individual time trial on day two of the five-stage Belgian race, beating UAE Team Emirates’ Tim Wellens by 14 seconds. 

As a result of his victory, Tarling now shares the record for the youngest rider ever to win a race on the UCI WorldTour. He equalled the benchmark set by Remco Evenepoel at the 2019 Clásica San Sebastián, where the Belgian won aged just 19 and 190 days. 

“It’s crazy. I’m so happy,” Tarling said afterwards. “I thought I started fast and then I heard the splits and I started panicking. I just tried to get everything out that I could and I think it worked well with the wind and stuff. It ended up working really good.” 

The Welshman averaged in excess of 54km/h over the technical 13.6km course in Sluis, holding off the likes of Yves Lampaert (Soudal Quick-Step), Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) and the former world champion Tobias Foss (Jumbo-Visma). 

“I don’t know if I was calm,” Tarling smiled. “I think it was panic from about halfway, but it was only a short-ish time trial, so it was just about getting everything out.” 

This year has been a breakthrough one for the teenager. Having won the junior time trial title at the 2022 World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, he went on to become the British national champion in the discipline this June. 

He then scored an impressive bronze medal in the elite time trial event at the World Championships in Glasgow, finishing on the podium behind his Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Filippo Ganna and the winner Evenepoel. 

Speaking after the Worlds, Tarling credited the UK time trial scene for his talent against the clock.

“I always loved it, and my dad used to do it,” he said. “There aren’t many places where you can pull on a skinsuit on a Wednesday night and just hurt yourself.” 

“I came to the UK a week and a half before the Nationals just to get at least three good 10 [-mile time trials] and a 50, just to get kind of dialled in. There’s some awesome courses out there.” 

A first year pro, Tarling now leads the general classification at the Renewi Tour, formerly known as the BinckBank Tour and the Benelux Tour, with the 14-second advantage he took from the time trial.  

Josh Tarling might be among the outside favourites for Friday's World Championships men's individual time trial, but the Welshman has his eyes on more than a rainbow jersey.

"Hopefully I'll get a cow," the 19-year-old joked to Cycling Weekly this week, referencing the bonus prize that all podium finishers attain. However, despite his age, the Ineos Grenadiers rider will only have one attempt at netting one, in the elite men's race.

Tarling will go up against multiple stars of the WorldTour in Stirling including his Ineos Grenadiers teammate Filippo Ganna of Italy. 

He told the media, including Cycling Weekly, on Friday that his exposure to the world class Ineos setup is one of the main reasons behind him being moved up to the elite category at the Worlds. 

“I just think like at a race with these guys you get all kinds of like, knowledge and other help as well,” Tarling explained. “We’ve been out on the bikes all morning together, had a massage, everything. So I just don't think it would be fair, you know, I get all the experiences in races and stuff. So it'd be hard for an under 23 to replicate that.” 

“So I'll just try and mix it up with the big boys,” he added. 

Tarling joined Ineos this year after winning the junior world time trial title in Wollongong last year and landed the British national elite time trial title in June. 

He said that he was already looking ahead to potentially participating at the Paris Olympics and was determined to make the most of the chances given to him in an Ineos jersey between now and then. 

“It's just about taking whatever chances they give me, you know, and never turning down a race,” he explained. “I have actually had a look at the Olympics TT course, it's really cool, really good and the road race too. 

“So yeah, but that's just like a general goal but with the team, it's just about never turning down any opportunities and seeing where it takes you.” 

Tarling’s impressive results have rightfully meant that he is being considered as an outside favourite for a medal in Stirling this week alongside the likes of Ganna, Belgian duo Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert, and Switzerland’s Stefan Küng.

Earlier this week, Ineos performance engineer Dan Bigham heaped praise on Tarling and backed him to get a good result. 

“Phwoaaar well if Dan says it,” Tarling joked. “I don't know, I'll just try to do the best I can and see where I end up, hopefully I'll get a cow.” 

Tarling will be able to call upon fellow Welshman Geraint Thomas for guidance and support ahead of the time trial. 

The 19-year-old said he was looking forward to spending time in Thomas’ company again after being apart since an Ineos winter training camp last year. 

“I haven't seen G since the camp at the start of the year,” Tarling said. “He's off doing bigger and cooler races than me. I'll just keep listening in when he's speaking and might steal a thing or two from him. 

“He's competition he is,” Thomas - who was also present in the British Cycling hotel - added with a smile. “I'm not going to tell him too much.”

Josh Tarling became the youngest rider to ever win the elite men's time trial at the British National Road Championships on Wednesday, after he stormed to victory by over a minute in North Yorkshire. Such is his youth, at 19 years and 126 days, that he was younger than the winner of the under-23 title, too.

On a flat, fast course the Ineos Grenadiers rider was the only man to average in excess of 50km/h over the 41.1km course, setting a time of 48-50, beating Fred Wright (Bahrain-Victorious) by 1-03. Tarling's Ineos teammate Connor Swift came in third, a further seven seconds back.

Earlier on Wednesday afternoon, Lizzie Holden (UAE Team ADQ) was last on the course in the elite women's race, but managed to beat everyone who had come before her, narrowly besting Anna Morris (WardPerformanceUK.com) and Elinor Barker (Uno-X) by 14 and 16 seconds, respectively. 

Holden powered round the 27.4km course at an averaged of 44.39km/h to take the first win of her professional career, aged 25. 

The day began with the under-23 races for both men and women over 27.4km. Josh Charlton (Saint Piran) won the men's event comfortably by 22 seconds over Max Walker (Trinity Racing), with Joshusa Golliker (Continental Groupama-FDJ) a further 11 seconds back.

Shortly after, Maddie Leech (Lifeplus Wahoo) dominated a small field in the women's equivalent, beating Lucy Gadd (Stade Rochelais Charente-Maritime) by a minute, with Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck Continental) trailing by another 16 seconds.

The first elite woman to spend a significant amount of time in the hot seat following the time trial was Katie Archibald (Ceratizit-WNT) with the Olympic track champion beating former champion Alice Barnes (Human Powered Health) during her time in the lead.

She was unseated by Barker, another Olympic champion, before a surprise rider, Morris, went even faster. This left it all on Holden on the course, with the 25-year-old fighting through the pressure to victory. One surprise was Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma), with the former champion appearing to suffer a mechanical during the run.

“It feels really special. I always looked up to those in the national jersey, and I guess now I have one of my own," Holden said post-race. "It doesn't feel real yet. This was something I wanted to aim for because I've been close before, but part of me was like I don't know if I can actually do it. I just did what I could do and thankfully it paid off."

For the men's race, it always felt inevitable that the race would come down to the powerhouses on the second half of the start sheet and so it proved, with John Archibald and Michael Gill (both HUUB Wattshop) and Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ) the only men from the first wave to make it into the top ten.

Swift set the fastest time, in 50 minutes, only to see his time beaten by his teammate, eight years younger, by 70 seconds. Then it was only a case of seeing whether Wright would beat the electric time set by Tarling, which he could not managed, instead taking the fifth second-place of his promising career.

Dan Bigham (HUUB Wattshop), whose full-time job is a performance engineer for Tarling's Ineos team, was last man out on course, but could not challenge the podium, fading on his last lap to finish seventh.

“It's a bit weird to have won," Tarling explained. "Weird, but super happy. Super cool to have won against some big hitters and really nice that I get to wear this in some cool races now. I think it was important not to go too hard at the start. I didn't want to go too easy when I felt good."

Asked why he entered the elite race when he would have comfortably qualified for the U23 version, he told The British Continental: "I get all the help with Ineos... so I think it would be unfair to enter the under-23 because a lot of them don’t get the help I get."

Geraint Thomas headlines a strong eight-man line up for Ineos Grenadiers at the British National Road Championships in Redcar and Cleveland, which take place at the end of June. 

According to the provisional start lists released by British Cycling, the Welshman will ride both the elite road race and individual time trial across the weekend in north Yorkshire, along with several other high profile riders from various WorldTour squads.

“I’m really thrilled to be back and racing at Nationals, which will be the first time for me in the road race, at least, in about 10 years," Thomas said. "It looks like a tough course that will make it a very hard race. It’s going to be great to be back out and racing after recently completing the Giro d’Italia – I can’t wait to get out there!"

Along with Thomas - who recently finished second at the Giro d’Italia - Ben Swift, who has won the national championships on two previous occasions, will race for Ineos, along with Josh Tarling, Ben Tulett, Connor Swift, Ben Turner, Leo Hayter and Luke Rowe in the road race.

One notable absence on the road race start list is Mark Cavendish, who outsprinted both Sam Watson of Groupama-FDJ and Alex Richardson, now of Saint Piran, in Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland last year. 

Cavendish will skip the opportunity to defend his title as he guns for a record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win in his final attempt at the French Grand Tour. Cavendish recently announced that the current season will be his last as a professional as he is set to retire at the end of the year.

Thomas’ status will inevitably make him the favourite for victory on the punchy, hilly circuit in north Yorkshire. However, he will face stiff competition from the likes of Bahrain Victorious’ Fred Wright who is also set to ride both the road race and the time trial at the championships, and his teammate Swift, who is going for a third title.

Elsewhere, EF Education-EasyPost will field a strong trio of Owain Doull, Simon Carr and James Shaw in the road race. Sam Watson - current under-23 national champion - is also set to return for Groupama-FDJ along with Jake Stewart and Lewis Askey.

Jumbo-Visma's Tom Gloag will also be another WorldTour threat along with Stevie Williams and Mason Hollyman of Israel-Premier Tech.

Other riders of note who will hope to challenge the likes of Thomas and Wright in the road race include Alex Richardson (Saint Piran), Matthew Bostock and Jacob Scott of Bolton Equities Black Spoke as well as Rob Scott of Cross Team Legendre.

Scott, along with the Bolton Equities duo, rode for the AT85 Pro Cycling squad until the end of last year. Bostock and Jacob Scott both moved to the ProTeam level with their new team whereas Rob Scott was part of the AT85 setup until its recent demise.

As well as Richardson, Saint Piran will arrive in north Yorkshire with a team stacked full of ability. Jack Rootkin-Gray, Zeb Kyffin, Will Tidball, Harry Birchall and Rhys Britton are all set to travel for the Cornwall-based squad.

Saint Piran recently completed a clean sweep of the podium at the Lincoln Grand Prix, with Richardson claiming the top spot of the podium for a second time.

The men’s road race at the British National Championships will take place on Sunday 25 June. Other riders from the WorldTour who are set to race include James Knox (Soudal Quick-Step) and Harrison Wood (Cofidis). 

Ask any rider about Paris-Roubaix, and they'll tell you it's a race like no other. 

Some fear the cobbled Monument, namely the narrow, rugged farm tracks on which it takes place. For others, the unpredictability brings great joy.

Across this year's men's and women's editions, 20 British riders set out to conquer the Hell of the North. Here are the stories of four of them, all debutants, and what they had to endure to reach the velodrome.

Josh Tarling - Outside time limit

There was one statistic on everyone’s lips at the start line of the men's Paris-Roubaix in Compiègne. Josh Tarling, just 19 years and 53 days old, was set to become the youngest male rider since 1937 to compete in the race. 

The day turned out to be a baptism of fire for the Welshman. With 150km to go, Tarling crashed with his Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Luke Rowe, bloodying his knee and tearing through his kit. He ended up riding over 100km alone to Roubaix Velodrome, where he finished six and a half minutes adrift of the time cut. 

How did he find the race? “Long,” he smiled, standing proudly under the sun. “[I had] a crash and two punctures, so I’ve done Paris-Roubaix right, no?” 

For Tarling, abandoning the race was never an option. “My girlfriend would shout at me if I didn’t make it here," he said. "It’s just Paris-Roubaix, isn’t it? You have to finish.” 

Speaking to Cycling Weekly by the team bus, the teenager’s girlfriend Grace concurred. “I knew that he wouldn’t be happy with himself truly if he didn’t get to the finish line,” she said. “He’s very determined. If he wanted to get to the line he would, and he did.”

Grace travelled to Roubaix with Tarling’s family, who cheered from the stands of the velodrome as he rode a solitary lap and a half. The sight brought his mother Dawn to tears. 

“He’s that kind of rider,” Dawn said. “He’ll always finish, so we waited because we knew he’d come. When we saw him, it was just awesome.”

Though Sunday’s race marked Tarling’s senior Roubaix debut, he had already completed the junior event twice. His father Michael explained that bad luck has been a constant across his experiences. 

“In the youth race, he was in a breakaway and there was a level crossing that came down and they didn’t give them the time back again," he said. "Then last year, I think he crashed. He deserves a good ride here one day.” 

Zoe Bäckstedt - 46th

Zoe Bäckstedt came into her first Paris-Roubaix with a simple goal in mind. “If I can finish it,” she told Cycling Weekly ahead of the race, “then that’s a great day for me.” 

The 18-year-old cut a relaxed figure at the team presentation in Denain. Like Tarling, she would be the youngest rider in the race, but with a lifetime’s worth of advice from her father Magnus - winner of the 2004 edition - and his old Speedplay pedals, she felt better prepared than anyone. 

In the end, the day was everything she had expected. “It was carnage, it was fast,” she said afterwards. “My legs were struggling, and it was just [about] trying to hold it [the bike] upright. There were a tonne of people crashing on the small parts that were slippery.”

Alongside her, in the race convoy with Canyon-Sram, her father kept a watchful eye. “He drove past me at one point when I was at the back and stuck his hand out the window and just gave me a thumbs up,” she said. “I know he’s in a different car, but he still looks out for me, which is really nice.” 

As for Bäckstedt’s team, EF Education-Tibco-SVB, the race played out like a dream. While the teenager spent the day in the peloton, her team-mate Alison Jackson was up the road in the breakaway, crafting a career-defining victory. Bäckstedt knew nothing of it. 

“I couldn’t hear anything on the radio for the last 50km,” she said. “I came into the velodrome and looked up at the big screen, because I knew the winner would be up there and I just saw AJ sprinting and then celebrating. 

“I think I just screamed for that whole lap and a half round the velodrome. When I saw my soigneur, I was like ‘AJ won! AJ won!’ I kid you not, I just cried.” 

Sam Watson - 121st

Twenty-one-year-old Sam Watson swung into Roubaix Velodrome wincing. He held his bars loosely - one hand on the hoods, the other in the drops - and gritted his teeth as he rounded the final bend. When he stepped off his bike, he stood, dazed, and stared down at his bare, blistered palms. 

“My body’s in pieces,” he told Cycling Weekly. “My hands, all the skin’s come off. That hurt more than my legs today.” 

The Groupama-FDJ rider began the race wearing gloves, but as the cobbled sectors clocked up, and the attrition bedded in, the friction grew unbearable. The only option was to take them off.

“I just had to ride the sectors without trying to put my palms on the handlebars,” he said. “Everything hurts. I’ve got blisters on my feet, no skin on my hands, back hurts. Luckily I’ve got a few days off now.” 

Asked to recount his day, Watson began at Haveluy, the sector before the Forest of Arenberg, where the winning move went. “That’s where it really kicked off,” he said. “I took Stefan [Küng] into it, just behind [Mathieu] Van der Poel and Wout [van Aert]. I was going as hard as I could already, I couldn’t follow them. And then from there really it was just a battle to the finish.

“Of course, I would’ve liked to have been there a bit more at the end, but I couldn’t hold my handlebars. Over the sectors, it was just agony.” 

Alice Towers - 23rd

Initially a reserve, British road champion Alice Towers only got the call-up to this year’s Paris-Roubaix two weeks before the race. “I was really nervous,” she said afterwards, which is why she chose to escape up the road. 

There, safe from the perilous proximity of the bunch, she rode for 100km as part of the breakaway group from which Alison Jackson eventually won. 

“I’d been on one recon, and I just sort of dived in,” Towers told Cycling Weekly. “The plan was to be vigilant. I was more of a support rider for the first bit of the race, and then the break actually went quite a long way, and I was there at the very end. So I’m pleased about that.”

On her Roubaix debut, the 20-year-old crossed the line in 23rd place, half a minute down on the winner. When she found out her companions stayed away, she rued the moment she lost contact, which came on an unsuspecting motorway bridge between the final sectors. “It just caught me by surprise,” she said. “But I was gone. I was pretty cooked anyway, so I don’t know what I could have done.”

Face muddied, Towers stood in the velodrome and shook out her arms, sore from the bone-shaking terrain. “I think they’ll be bruised tomorrow,” she laughed, before reflecting once more on the race she had just finished.

“I’m happy to have ticked it off,” she said. “[Beforehand], everyone was just like, ‘Oh my god, the Hell of the North, it’s crazy there. It’s horrible.’ But actually, I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.”

Now the curtain has drawn on the 2022 road season, focus is already shifting to what next year might bring. Who’s destined for a career-defining victory? Who will emerge as the next big thing? 

It’s impossible to keep an eye on everyone, so here are 10 of the most promising up-and-coming riders to watch in 2023.

Fred Wright

You can’t help but get the feeling that something big is coming for Fred Wright. The Brit enjoyed his best season to date in 2022, but despite his plucky determination, a WorldTour win still eluded him. 

Wright came agonisingly close to victories at the Tour de France and Vuelta a España this season, but both times had to settle for second behind Danish powerhouse and former world champion Mads Pedersen.

In the first half of 2023, Wright is likely to aim for the Monuments and his Bahrain Victorious teammate Matej Mohorič believes it’s only a matter of time before he wins one. After his valiant display in April’s Tour of Flanders, it’s hard not to think the same.

Juan Ayuso

This September, Juan Ayuso became the first teenager to step onto a Grand Tour podium since 19-year-old Henri Cornet won the Tour de France almost 120 years ago. 

Now 20 years old, Ayuso has already established himself as one of the peloton’s strongest climbers. The UAE Team Emirates rider’s performance at this year’s Vuelta a España proved he has what it takes to become a GC candidate, and with the likes of João Almeida, Brandon McNulty and Rafał Majka at his side, there’s no reason he can’t win one. 

The Spaniard has said he’d like to test himself in the Ardennes next spring, before targeting the Vuelta once again. This time, he’ll be hoping to swap his third place for the top step. 

Thymen Arensman 

Also impressing at this year’s Vuelta was Dutchman Thymen Arensman. Then riding in the colours of Team DSM, Arensman charged up the overall standings in the final week, with a win on the race’s queen stage atop Sierra Nevada. He eventually finished sixth on GC - his best ever three-week performance. 

In 2023, Arensman will move to Ineos Grenadiers as a readymade Grand Tour rider, replacing the departing Richard Carapaz, who is off to EF Education-EasyPost. Though it’s uncertain if he’ll get the chance to lead the team, he certainly has the pedigree to challenge for a podium. 

Josh Tarling

Joining Arensman at Ineos next season will be 18-year-old Josh Tarling. The teenager’s signing was announced back in August, and at the Road World Championships month later, he showcased exactly why he was such a sought after talent. 

In Wollongong, Australia Tarling stormed to his first ever rainbow jersey, winning the junior men’s time trial by 19 seconds. He was then tipped for victory in the road race, but a nasty crash sadly forced him to abandon.

The Welshman won all four time trials he competed in in 2022, so keep an eye on him against the clock next season.  

Zoe Bäckstedt

Zoe Bäckstedt is a once in a generation talent. At just 18 years old, she currently holds four junior world titles across four different disciplines and was crowned Cycling Weekly’s female rider of the year for 2022. 

Bäckstedt started the year strongly, claiming her first cyclo-cross rainbow jersey in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She then travelled to Tel Aviv in the summer where she won gold on the track in the Madison with her partner Grace Lister. 

Her crowning achievement, however, came in September when she did the double at the Road World Championships, taking the junior road and time trial titles. In fact, Bäckstedt’s winning margins in both events were the highest ever recorded in the junior ranks at the championships. 

Next season, the teenager will join American team EF Education-TIBCO-SVB as she looks to find her feet on the WorldTour. She might not win as often as she’s used to, but she’s certain to try a few trademark long-range attacks. 

Sam Watson

21-year-old Sam Watson is the latest Brit to sign a WorldTour contract with French team Groupama FDJ, following in the footsteps of Jake Stewart and Lewis Askey.

This June, Watson earned himself the under-23 British road title at the National Championships in the south west of Scotland. Having broken away from the pack, the then 20-year-old almost took the elite men’s title, but couldn’t get round former world champion Mark Cavendish in a dash to the line. 

Groupama FDJ don’t shy away from throwing their neo pros into big races, so don’t be surprised to see Watson’s punchy, aggressive style light up the Classics.

Alice Towers

Alice Towers was another rider who burst onto the scene at the British National Championships, powering through blustery winds and torrential downpours to take the biggest win of her career. 

Then just 19 years old, Towers launched a brave solo attack in the women’s elite road race and rode 40km on her own to the finish. On the podium, she swapped her sodden team jersey for a brand new national champion’s one. 

Next season, Towers will step up to cycling’s highest level with Canyon-SRAM, a team that’s likely to allow her to race in her favoured offensive way. Donning her special red, white and blue jersey, she won’t be hard to spot in the bunch. 

Arnaud de Lie

In what was a disappointing 2022 season for Lotto Soudal, young Belgian talent Arnaud De Lie provided a much-needed ray of hope. The 20-year-old sprinter managed eight victories in his debut season with the WorldTour squad, with all of them coming in important one-day races. 

In fact, De Lie was so consistent this year that he finished the season sixth in the UCI points rankings, ahead of the likes of Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock and Julian Alaphilippe. 

Though Lotto Soudal are set to be relegated to ProTeam level, De Lie will still get a lot of big opportunities on his programme for 2023. Could a first Grand Tour stage win be waiting for him? 

Niamh Fisher-Black 

Team SD Worx’s Niamh Fisher-Black is already maturing into one of the finest climbers in the women’s peloton. The diminutive New Zealander had her strongest season yet in 2022, winning the youth classifications at the Giro Donne and Itzulia Women, before going on to become the under-23 road world champion in Wollongong, Australia. 

With team-mate Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio moving on to AG Insurance-NXTG for 2023, there’s space at SD Worx for a new GC talent to come to the fore, and the coaches won’t need to look far for a replacement. Fisher-Black’s results show that she’s the obvious fit. 

Mattias Skjelmose Jensen

Danish cycling is booming at the moment, and Copenhagen-born Mattias Skjelmose Jensen is one of those riding the wave.

The 22-year-old Trek Segafredo rider completed his first Grand Tour in 2022, finishing a commendable 40th at the Giro d’Italia. The shorter stage races proved more fruitful for him, though, with victory in the Skoda Tour Luxembourg, as well as podiums at the Tour de la Provence, Tour de l’Ain and his native Tour of Denmark. 

A Grand Tour podium might be a stretch too far for Skjelmose Jensen for now, but a top 10 could certainly be on the cards in 2023. 

Emil Herzog of Germany won the junior men’s world title by outsprinting António Morgado of Portugal in the men’s junior road race at the road World Championships 2022. 

The German ride came out on top after a gruelling eight laps of the 17 kilometre circuit in Wollongong, Australia. Morgado attempted to distance the rest of the main field as he launched a stinging solo move on the final lap, although ultimately he was forced to settle for silver as Herzog caught him with two kilometres left to set up the final duel. 

As they approached the line, the Portuguese rider sat on Herzog’s wheel looking for him to open up his sprint, but Herzog had the upper hand as he kicked harder for the line to take the win. In the reduced bunch sprint behind the first two riders, Vlad van Mechelen of Belgium took the bronze medal from a group of 11 chasers. 

Earlier in the action, Morgado was heavily involved in affairs as the chase group he was part of caught an early breakaway before he launched an attack in the final 17 kilometres of the long 135 kilometre race. However Herzog’s perseverance enabled him to reel back in the flying Portuguese starlet and land the title. 

Due to his perseverance and determination, Morgado became the first ever Portuguese rider to finish on the podium in the junior men’s road race. 

After an early crash Great Britain's Josh Tarling was forced to abandon the race due to his injuries.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Heavy rain had doused the 17 kilometre circuit earlier in the day to leave the road surface shimmering as the action got underway. 106 riders lined up on the start line of the 135 kilometre course in Wollongong. The junior men were facing a long day in the saddle which featured eight ascents of the Mount Pleasant climb. 

Not long after the flag was dropped a small crash occurred in the main field, just before the incident Martin Jurík of Slovakia had launched an early attack. Nobody was looking to push the pace too early in the peloton knowing that Mount Pleasant would soon begin to take its toll towards the final lap. 

On the very first descent from the Mount Pleasant climb, Josh Tarling (Great Britain), Max van der Meulen (Netherlands) and Hamish Mackenzie of Australia were involved in a crash. After three of the favourites had been ruled out by the incident, other riders looked to capitalise on the nervousness in the bunch and Artem Shmidt (USA) was one of the riders who moved off the front of the group looking to force a split and catch the lone leader. 

Tarling and Mackenzie, both visibly bruised, managed to rejoin the peloton although ultimately Tarling would not finish the race.

Romet Pajur (Estonia), Daniel Lima (Portugal) and Pavel Novak (Czech Republic) were the next riders to attack during the second lap. Pajur and Novak eventually distanced the Portuguese rider and formed a small gap of 20 seconds as they began the third lap. Eventually the duo would be caught. 

By the time the riders began the fourth lap of the course, a group of five riders had established itself and they were hot in pursuit of Pajur and Novak. They were Viggo Moore and Shmidt (USA), McKenzie and Zachary Walker (Great Britain) and Benjamin Eckerstorfer (Austria). On the next time over Mount Pleasant, Moore managed to bridge across to the leading duo. Eventually it all came together and McKenzie was the only rider unable to stay with the lead group. 

Behind the leaders, António Morgado had begun his quest to chase them down and land the title. 

With 56 kilometres left to race, a strong chase group had formed including Emil Herzog (Germany), Paul Magnier (France), Morgado and Milan Kadlec (Czech Republic) were bearing down on the leaders as the riders entered the sixth lap. The rain began to pour as the chasers eventually caught the leading quintet and with 42 kilometres to go, Herzog and Magnier were both driving the pace as the riders headed back to Wollongong. 

Morgado was never far away from the front of the race and the fiery rider was ready to attack again as five lead riders entered the final lap. Herzog, Jørgen Nordhagen (Norway), Magnier and Thibaud Gruel of France had managed to keep hold of Morgado temporarily as the bell rang out. 

Suddenly Morgado attacked again in one last ditch attempt to grab the junior men’s rainbow jersey and he soon had a gap of 25 seconds. However Emil Herzog still had enough power left in his legs to set off after Morgado with six kilometres to go. Eventually he had the Portuguese rider firmly in his grasp as they approached the line. 

The duo began to look at each other as Morgado forced Herzog to open up his sprint early, although Morgado would soon tire as Herzog crossed the line first to land an impressive victory. 

Belgium’s van Mechelen took third and the bronze medal with Magnier and Schmidt finishing fourth and fifth respectively. 

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022 RESULTS, JUNIOR MEN’S ROAD RACE:  

1. Emil Herzog (Ger) in 3-11-07
2. António Morgado (Por) at same time
3. Vlad van Mechelen (Bel) at 55s
4. Paul Magnier (Fra)
5. Artem Shmidt (USA)
6. Menno Huising (Ned)
7. Thibaud Gruel (Fra)
8. Frank Ragilo (Est)
9. Zachary Walker (GBR)
10. Pavel Novak (Cze) all at same time

On Tuesday morning, Michael Tarling watched from a hotel room in Poland as his 18-year-old son, Josh, won his first world title.

Josh's mother, Dawn, and younger brother, Finlay, were at the race in Wollongong, Australia. Ten thousand miles west, his father was on a work trip in Eastern Europe, readying himself for the day ahead with the logistics company he joined just a few weeks prior.  

“I came into the office late,” Michael told Cycling Weekly. “I told everyone I wasn’t going to be here until around about 11 o’clock.” 

That morning, Michael had been wide awake, eyes glued to the television as his son thundered through the winding time trial circuit. 

“I had Eurosport plugged into the hotel tele and the live timing from Tissot on my phone trying to work out where he was,” Michael said. “Fin and Dawn were sending us updates on the family WhatsApp group as to how it was going.

“Fin was in the media car following him with Mark Renshaw so he was having a whale of a time watching.

“It looked like it was all going really good until the final time check. I think he lost about six seconds. We were a bit heart in mouth and the WhatsApp group was going backwards and forwards about whether he could hold on. But he had it all in control in the end, bless him.” 

Josh averaged over 49km/h around the 28.8km course, taking the rainbow jersey in the junior men's individual time trial by 19 seconds.

“He said afterwards that when he caught Jens Verbrugghe, who was in front of him, he thought he was probably going a little bit too hard so backed off and maybe backed off a little bit too much. But I think he did that to give us all a bit of a scare in the end. There were a few tears once he crossed the line.

“I must admit," Michael continued, "I’m probably not as focused as I should be on this trip, that’s for sure.”

The view from Wales

Earlier that same morning, at 1:46am UK time, Magnus and Meg Bäckstedt watched nervously from their family sofa in South Wales as their daughter, Zoe, rolled down the start ramp in the junior women’s individual time trial.

“I never actually went to bed,” Magnus told Cycling Weekly. “At about half past 10, 11 o’clock, I started feeling a bit butterfly-y.”

Last year, when Zoe crossed the line first in the junior road race, Magnus fell silent in his TV commentary role. A video released later that day showed the Paris-Roubaix winner sobbing as he celebrated in the commentary booth. This year, he said, the emotions were back. 

“We were both standing up in front of the television last night,” Magnus said. “We had one or two points where [Zoe] was descending, taking one of the corners in the skis and full gas. [Meg] was like ‘oh my god, my heart rate’s going up so high.’ So she looked and she was like 155 beats per minute.” 

Over in Wollongong, Zoe made racing look easy. The 17-year-old ended up winning by a margin of over 90 seconds, earning her a fourth world title in as many disciplines.

“I think the ride was something special, in terms of performance and everything that goes with it, you know, the pressure before the race to deal with being the outright favourite.

“I don’t know how she does it,” Magnus added.

In the early hours of Saturday morning, Zoe will be the favourite once again as she looks to retain her title in the junior road race. With his eldest daughter Elynor competing in the women’s elite event afterwards at 3:45am, Magnus isn’t expecting to sleep a wink. 

“We’ve got a few friends and family coming round to watch it,” he said. “I think it will be an all nighter for us all to watch both of the girls do their racing.”

Michael Tarling, too, is planning a family affair for when his son Josh takes the start line in Friday’s junior men’s road race. “I’m landing in the afternoon and driving home,” Michael said. “Then I’ll probably go and watch it with his grandparents, my mother in law and father in law. They’re not too far away, so we’ll watch it together, I think.”

Josh Tarling continued a golden day for Great Britain with gold in the junior men's time trial at the World Championships in Wollongong.

The 18-year-old was the last one on the 28.8km course in New South Wales, Australia, and was the last man who could upset Hamish McKenzie (Australia), and did so, beating him by 19 seconds.

He followed Zoe Bäckstedt as a GB rider, and more specifically a Welsh rider, as junior world champion on a speedy day for the team. It meant for a second time on Tuesday, God Save The King rang out, potentially for the first time on an elite sports podium.

The Welshman's ride, ferocious at times, saw him average 49.395km/h over the course, which meant he finished in 34-59. McKenzie finished 19 seconds behind, to take Australia's second medal of this World Championships, with Emil Herzog of Germany in third, another 14 seconds behind that.

McKenzie spent most of the afternoon in the hot seat in Wollongong, as he was the fourth rider down the start ramp, almost three hours before Tarling began his attempt.

With Herzog and Jan Christen (Switzerland) in fourth also starting late on in the time trial, it was a strangely lopsided race, with McKenzie putting in his competitive time before the action had really begun.

Another favourite, Jens Verbrugghe (Belgium), was off the pace, with Tarling able to use him as a target and then overtake him, despite starting two minutes behind the Belgian.

It was reported that Verbrugghe was forced to used a different bike than his usual for the effort, which would go some way to explain why he did not seem comfortable, or as fast as his rivals.

Tarling was ahead at the first time check, and then the second, although he seemed to lose time to McKenzie over the second half of the course; he explained this post-race by saying he eased off when he saw Verbrugghe, as he assumed he was going a little too hard.

However, this didn't matter in the end, with the Welshman taking full advantage of the final downhill section - with tailwind - during which he broke 70km/h, to break McKenzie's time.

He was the favourite, and did not let the tag weigh him down too heavily. Just like Bäckstedt earlier in the Australian day, the GB rider went last and lived up to the predictions.

Speaking post-race, he made it clear that relief was the biggest emotion. He also paid credit to the coaches which have helped him and Bäckstedt to world glory.

"It definitely hasn't sunk in yet," Tarling said. "It feels like a relief. So much hard work, I was a bit annoyed after last year. I really wanted it, and relief maybe.

"The first lap was important because it felt like it was all uphill, especially with the headwind. I was just trying to sit as hard as I could over that first climb, and then it was pretty much downhill with a tailwind to the finish. Then I think I was hurting anyway, but when I saw Jens Verbrugghe I eased off a bit, cos I thought I was going ok. I think I eased off a bit too much, so I had to kick through the last few sections. It was mainly thinking about the corners."

Asked how this season has been, targeting this race, Tarling said it was "so hard".

"I think I had a bad start to the season with injuries and feeling empty. From halfway through the year it has been all for this," he explained. "I had a bit of food poisoning during the Euros, and I was annoyed I couldn't help my team in the team pursuit, and they deserved it. After that it was flat out to try and bring GB another jersey to make up for it.

"It's awesome, the coaches really deserve it. We're really proud. After the road race, I'm going to try and get another result in that."

The two rainbow jerseys on Tuesday mean it has been a very successful World Championships for GB so far, with Leo Hayter taking a bronze medal in the U23 time trial on Monday.

Tarling has signed a contract with Ineos Grenadiers for next year, and on this evidence could be a handful at WorldTour level. First, there is the small matter of the junior road race on Saturday, which he could be competitive in too.

RESULTS

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022 - JUNIOR men's INDIVIDUAL TIME TRIAL (28.8KM)

1. Josh Tarling (GBr), in 34-59
2. Hamish McKenzie (Aus), at 19s
3. Emil Herzog (Deu), at 33s
4. Jan Christen (Sui), at 59s
5. Romet Pajur (Est), at 1-07
6. Artem Shmidt (USA), at 1-37
7. Frank Ragilo (Est), at 1-38
8. Duarte Marivoet (Bel), at 1-40
9. Jørgen Nordhagen (Nor), at 1-41
10. Thibaud Gruel (Fra), at same time