"There was no easy part of the course" - Joshua Tarling suffers but thrives at Gran Camino time-trial

Joshua Tarling ended the 2023 season beating Remco Evenepoel at the Chrono des Nations. He has a strong start to the 2024 season, having won today for the first time at Gran Camiño.

“I'm happy but also tired. It was an extremely tough and tricky time trial due to the wind. The last four kilometers in particular were more difficult than during the reconnaissance," Tarling told Wielerflits. “In the beginning the wind was against us. But it was also very windy on the way back. Even the descent was tough. There was no easy part of the course, which makes it a very tough time trial."

The effort was raced under unexpected circumstances, as the riders were forced to race without their time-trial bikes. Still, this was not an obstacle for the Briton. In the 15-kilometer effort he beat Darren Rafferty by 42 seconds. A triumph that no-one was close to matching by the INEOS Grenadiers rider, who may have benefited from the lack of GC times on the day due to the neutralization.

The 20-year old is the first race leader of the race, he will not be a contender for the overall classification however he does hope to help the team who has several cards to win stages and the GC this week. “We are extremely strong. Everyone is on fire within the team. Egan Bernal, Ethan Hayter, Carlos Rodríguez, we are all fine and in good condition," he assures. "So we have good chances this week."