Joshua Tarling: "I wanted to give Great Britain a jersey"

Joshua Tarling started out as the last rider on today's Junior World Championships, and he took the title on the time-trial event.

"I had a bit of a bad feeling about last year, so I really wanted it. The first lap was important. It felt like a lot of uphill, especially with the headwind. I just rode as fast as I could on that first climb. After that it was a bit downhill and tailwind to the finish," Tarling described. He was the main favourite for the gold medal, and he delivered. 

The 18-year old took the win on the day with a 19-second advantage over home rider Hamish McKenzie, to take what was the second gold medal for Great Britain on the day. “I worked very hard for it. I had a bit of a bad start to the season with injuries and an empty feeling. I have fully focused on this since the middle of the year," the future INEOS Grenadiers rider said. 

"I think I had food poisoning at the European Track Cycling Championships and I was sorry I couldn't help my team there in the team pursuit. That's why I wanted to give Great Britain a jersey, as a saving grace," Tarling concluded.