Josh Tarling set for UCI Track World Championships debut for Great Britain

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