Josh Tarling set the fastest time early on in the Tour de France’s stage 16 time trial, but the Netcompany-Ineos rider’s chances of staying at the top of the results sheet come the end were hampered by his ongoing recovery from a broken collarbone and a fractured rib.
Tarling, 22, posted a time of 34:21 on the course from Évian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains on a course that headed inland up a climb, then descended back towards the southern shores of Lake Geneva. He was five seconds faster than his teammate Filipoo Ganna.
Though the parcours wasn’t entirely suited to his characteristics, Tarling, a winner of nine time trials in his pro career and two seconds off a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, would ordinarily have been one of the favourites for the stage.
But the Welshman crashed at mid-June’s Tour Auverge Rhône Alpes, breaking his collarbone and cracking a rib. He was able to start his maiden Tour just three weeks later, but admitted that his injuries have hampered him during the race.
“Before coming here my goal was top-5, but with the Dauphiné [the previous name for the Tour Auverge Rhône Alpes] and all the problems around that, I just hope to have done a good ride,” Tarling said.
Asked if he felt pain during the time trial, he answered: “A bit, in the ribs and the shoulder, but it’s coming back. It’s OK. I think all the race [he’s been affected]. I’ve just been healing. I had so much water weight at the start from all the healing.”
Analysing his performance, Tarling continued: “It’s too long for me, too long and hard, but for me I take it as a good chance to go full before the Worlds. I under-did the climb, I had too much left at the end. I think that pacing is not going to work [for the GC riders] but I did a good race.”
Just after Tarling began descending the climb, he had to swerve to avoid some fans who were crossing the road. Fortunately, he was able to and avoided any problems. “I looked up and there were people,” he said. “I didn’t have too much time to react and it was just carry on.”
Tarling is racing his first ever Tour and will be aiming to complete the remaining five stages. He hasn’t finish his previous two Grand Tours, the 2025 Giro d’Italia where he won a stage, and the 2024 Vuelta a España.
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