"A bit upset... kind of ashamed" - Joshua Tarling misses out on podium in time trial at 2025 European Championships

Joshua Tarling cut a disappointed figure at the finish line of the Men’s Elite Time Trial at the 2025 European Championships, after placing fifth, narrowly missing out on the podium in a race dominated by Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel.

The 21-year-old Brit, considered one of the most promising time trial specialists in the world, had entered the event with high hopes despite a limited calendar since crashing out of the Giro d’Italia earlier this season. But a combination of turbulent wind conditions and lingering uncertainty over form left him visibly frustrated.

“Yeah... a bit upset, a bit, um... kind of ashamed, I guess,” Tarling admitted candidly to Cycling Pro Net post-race. “It was all a bit unknown for me really, coming off the Giro. Maybe things would’ve been different if the wind hadn’t been so strong today — but then again, it was the same for everyone.”

Despite those conditions, Tarling still managed a highly respectable ride, finishing just two seconds behind teammate Ethan Hayter, who ended the day in fourth, and only 2 seconds outside the bronze medal position held by Denmark’s Niklas Larsen. But in a discipline defined by fine margins, the result stung. “If other guys are good in the wind, I’ve got to get better in the wind too. I can’t complain,” Tarling added. “I’m happy with how I rode. The position on the bike isn’t quite as aggressive as before — we had to make it a bit less so with the back — but yeah, it wasn’t good enough today.”

Tarling’s near miss was mirrored by that of Ethan Hayter, who for a time held the provisional third place before being edged out in the final standings. For the 27-year-old, who has endured a disrupted season, the fourth-place finish marked a strong return to form — but also carried a tinge of disappointment. “Yeah, it’s close — really close,” Hayter said in his own post-race interview. “I never really felt like I was fully on top of it. I was fighting the bike the whole way, but probably everyone felt that. It was so windy.”

Hayter has long been viewed as one of Britain’s most versatile riders, capable across time trials and stage racing, but his trajectory this year was hampered by illness. “I got COVID in Poland, which was frustrating — I’d hoped to do the time trial there and maybe go for GC, but that ruled it out,” he explained. “I also missed the Worlds, which was a shame. But it’s been great to do the Tour of Britain, Luxembourg, and now this. So yeah — I’m quite satisfied. Things are heading in the right direction again.”

His comments also revealed a touch of frustration at the equipment situation within British Cycling’s setup, hinting at challenges in matching the optimisation levels of rival national programmes. “It can be tricky sometimes with the British Cycling equipment. They really focus on the Olympics, and sometimes it’s like: ‘Well, you did a good ride here — and with the Olympic kit, you could do this...’ That’s just how it goes sometimes.”