"I needed to distract myself" - Joshua Tarling gives his everything to win the opening Vuelta time trial for Finlay
Cycling
It would've been a story of the month, had Joshua Tarling won the opening time trial of 2026 Vuelta a Espana. But unfortunately, he was surpassed by compatriot Ethan Hayter and, in the end, also by the race's main favourite Tadej Pogacar.
The 9.4-kilometer time trial in the streets of Monaco has been a great show from British riders. Matthew Brennan jumped into the provisional lead when there were still more than 100 riders to start, but that was only a hint of what was yet to come.
Some 70 finishers later, the Union Jack returned to hot seat thanks to a splendid performance from Grand Tour debutant Callum Thornley. The 23-year-old Brit would finish just a second off podium. 17 minutes later, the time trial's big favourite Joshua Tarling crossed finish line - as expected in green numbers.
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At that point, only 29 riders were to complete the first stage, and all seemed set for good news for the Tarling family after the tragedy that encountered Joshua's younger brother Finlay at Volta a Portugal last week.
But it wasn't meant to be; first compatriot Ethan Hayter clocked a time four seconds better than Tarling, only to be dethroned by penultimate rider on start ramp, Tadej Pogacar, by mere 0.09 seconds.
White is not the new red
Tarling still moves into the white jersey for best young rider, but that's not the prize he came to Monaco for.
"I’m super happy, as happy as I can be. I gave everything I had. I can’t do much more. It was a good course for me obviously. I liked it, technical and twisty, a lot like it was in the Tour but minus the climb," Tarling said after the stage.
That 10-minute full-throttle effort was just what Tarling needed to take his mind off the harsh reality, he admits. "I needed to distract myself. Thanks to my family for giving me the blessing to come here and just do another bike race.”
While the odds of a breakaway victory are never a zero, Tarling will primarily look ahead to the stage 18 individual time trial. Over a 32-kilometer course, unknowns such as the technical course in the streets of Monaco should not play a role, and raw power will prevail. That is when Tarling can truly shine.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- It doesnt take a genius to understand that Pogi is 1 level above and Pogi is younger that Jonas, so Jonas will not win under ordinary circumstances. Pogi has to crack hard for Jonas to win. It doesn't matter whether you defend Jonas or not , facts remain facts. Jonas himself says his numbers are better than 2022/2023, so Jonas is more or less optimized and we are just see the stochastic variation due to other factors. I think he will retire along with Pedersen in WC denmarkabstractengineer13-11-2026
- They only raced each other during the 2026 Tour, but here's a few metrics to look at. Stage 3 (Granollers to Les Angles): Pogačar won the stage, finishing 2 seconds ahead of Vingegaard (2nd). Del Toro finished 24 seconds behind Stage 6 (Pau to Gavarnie-Gedre / Col du Tourmalet): Pogačar won solo, Vingegaard finished 2nd (losing 2:38), and Del Toro finished 3rd (at +2:57, finishing 19 seconds behind Vingegaard). Here, Jonas Vingegaard outclimbed Isaac del Toro by 19 seconds on the mountain stageawp13-11-2026
- your clinging to the past. Jonas was dropped by del toro many times last year and jonas never managed a climbing numers del toro did in dauphine last year -entire year. Trend is also evident theres no discussion your living in the past, its beent he same with jonas for many years now and only developing, meanwhile del toro is rising and developing greatly. This is all obvious stuff and im not even a del toro fan. No point discussing numbers or this i suspect you dont watch much now but rather think its 2022 still cause this aint hard.miguel13-11-2026
- We can go through metrics if you like, Del Toro, who I do admire and support, is not on the same level as Jonas just yet. You will see that in early 2027 if they have any crossover races. I do hope they both race the Giro. You are correct though, Jonas is getting older and will not be able to hand on much longer. I see 2027 as a good year for him. Obviously behind Tadej though.awp13-11-2026
- What wins? Are you LA operating under a pseudonym?mij13-11-2026
- My point is this - Tadej, Remco, Seixas are all the outliers. Many riders don’t hit their peak until 28. It’s way too early to write him off. And the pogi slo guy that hates him - he’s also immature. Ayuso needs time.mij13-11-2026
- Then you need to use ur eyes or head if you have cause del toro already dropped jonas two times and beat him in tdf stages already this year.. Del toro climbed(dauphine) better numbers than jonas did all year too. So ur feelings and wishful thinking doesnt amtter del toro himself has already surpassed jonas infact just facts. Its also very evident for anyone objective that Jonas is declining alot, its just the truth and super obvious.miguel13-11-2026
- None of those victories stand, so there's that,wrsty13-11-2026
- No surprise there; it is British Sycling, yes, with an S
Rafionain-Glas12-11-2026 - I like Del Toro but he's not on the level of Jonas, by a large margin.awp12-11-2026
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