Cycling IS changing - Joshua Tarling starts Paris-Roubaix with 62-tooth chainring

Technology evolves in cycling and riders take it to the next step every single year. Paris-Roubaix is a hotspot for special features in bikes and this year Joshua Tarling shows up at the Hell of the North with a single 62-tooth chainring to tackle the 55 kilometers of cobbled roads.

"It's been a long time here so I'm hoping the form stay, I'm super excited. I like to think I'm ok, there's no hiding today so I'll find out. I do like it, it's hard and it suits me," Tarling said at the start in Compiègne this morning in words to CyclingPro.net. The Briton is racing Roubaix for the second time in his career despite his young 20 years of age, and after riding among the best at Dwars door Vlaanderen and Tour of Flanders, will definitely be an outsider for this race.

A video shared by Rouleur shows him in the starting area with a 62-tooth chainring, with no small ring. A surprising sight, but unsurprisingly in the bike of one of the most powerful riders in the peloton. Tarling is an ultimate powerhouse, reigning European time-trial champion... He is hoping as one of the heaviest and most powerful riders in this peloton that he will be able to comfortably push a gear that likely no other rider will this Sunday. But the focus is on the results at the end of the day.

Most notably, he is asked about the late addition of his teammate Tom Pidcock: "There's loads of different ways, he's a good addition to the team so there's different ways we can go about it. The main thing is we use him, and we use us to help him," he says. "We'll get the most out of everyone and hopefully one of us is on top."