"A lack of talent, I guess" - Joshua Tarling shares what led to his Giro d'Italia-ending crash

Joshua Tarling is starting his 2026 season at the UAE Tour this Monday and will be a big favourite for the race's time trial alongside Remco Evenepoel. Before the start of his season, INEOS has shared a video where the Briton provided insight into his past season where he's had a lot of new experiences.

One of them was his first Grand Tour win, which came at the Giro. “I honestly have better memories from the road stages. In a time trial you sit in the hot seat for ages, so it’s more relief when it happens," Tarling said in an INEOS Grenadiers video. "But the vibe was good — and I had Ben [Turner] as a leadout, and we did really well as a team. The days I worked well for Ben, or the gravel stage with Egan [Bernal]… that was cool.”

It were a few busy weeks for the 21-year old who had a domestique role for several of his other leaders aside from the time trial. "Even the days I went in the break were great. It was brutal, and even the day after the win I had to be in the break again. But I have better memories of the atmosphere, and helping Egan and Thymen [Arensman].”

However, his race came to an end on stage 16, fruit of a crash which he does not recall fondly. “It was more depressing because it was such a boring crash. Crashes are never cool, but if it’s spectacular, it makes sense that you’re battered. I just went straight on at a roundabout. A lack of talent, I guess".

Whilst his season did not end there, Tarling only raced again in September after suffering fractured vertebrae and tailbone; serious injuries which saw him struggle for a while. He did not race the national or World Championships; raced to fifth at the Europeans but then managed to improve his form and win the late-season Chrono des Nations, as well as take on the track during the winter.

After months of preparation, he is now setting in for a new year, his fourth with INEOS. “I feel really good, I feel strong. I still need a bit of fine-tuning, but then I’ll be completely ready. I’m excited to get stuck in again. I want to start the Classics strongly. But leadouts will be fun too, with Ben sprinting better than ever — and of course Sam Welsford.”

He will team up with the Australian at UAE in an attempt to bring him in the sprints. “I hope to do it a lot better than last year. I hope everything goes well, that I’m in the right place — and then we’ll see how far we can get. I’ve got high expectations and a lot of hope. It’s going to be really fun.”

But stage 2, a 12-kilometer long effort against the clock, as flat as anyone could expect, could see him take his first win of the year. “I really like it. It’s quite technical, which suits me. That roundabout didn’t really go well… but it looks a bit like the Olympics, only slightly tougher. And the finish is twisty — that’ll be fun.”