Josh Tarling eager for World Tour debut: "It’s like starting school but with really scary people"

INEOS Grenadiers' 18-year-old Welshman, Joshua Tarling is about to begin the first season of his professional career and he couldn't be more excited. "I can just go all-out to get results for the team."

In a wide-ranging interview with Cycling Tips, Tarling discusses everything from dream dinner party guests to which superpower he would like to have. When asked what his reaction was when he got the call from INEOS, Tarling reveals his first thought was "how do I explain this to my parents and my girlfriend?”

"I didn’t really know how to react," Tarling admits. From growing up idolising Wales's greatest ever cyclist Geraint Thomas, Tarling is now sharing a room with his compatriot at an INEOS training camp. "We were saying it’s really weird having exactly what you want. All your life, you want to be at a team like INEOS and now you’ve got it," he says. “I wanted to be able to be WorldTour straight away, but I wasn’t really prepared for it to be an actual option."

With it still not having properly sunk in for Tarling that he's set to embark on his professional career very soon, the Welshman admits there are nerves. "It’s like starting school but with really scary people,” he jokes. "I like to fight for things that I want but if I’m there it gives me the security that I’ve made it to that level and once I’m there I can just go all-out to get results for the team and stuff rather than fighting to get there for the next few years.”