Josh's Profile

A phenomenon against the clock, junior world champion Joshua Tarling is set to make his Olympic debut in Paris this summer and despite being just 20 years of age, he will enter as one of the favourites to take a medal in France.

The young Welsh rider began life off-road, taking part in cyclocross races in Belgium from a young age, and his skill on two wheels extended to a variety of disciplines – he has won European junior titles in the omnium and team pursuit on the track, leading to selection for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he represented Wales in the velodrome. 

But riding a 100-mile time trial in a time of 4h49 at the tender age of 12 signalled a future of riding against the clock. Riding for a Belgian team as junior gave Tarling access to a broad junior road race programme, and he took several wins in 2022 that set him up for his biggest challenge to date – the UCI World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, where he took his first rainbow jersey, winning the men’s junior individual time trial and attracting the attention of British World Tour team INEOS Grenadiers, for whom he signed shortly afterwards.

Skipping his under-23 season and moving straight to elite, Tarling displayed his superior skill against the clock, taking his first senior title at the British nationals, before claiming the bronze medal at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, his first elite level world championship medal. Later in the year, he won gold at both the UEC European Continental championships in Emmen, Netherlands in the time-trial – beating the likes of Stefan Bissegger and Wout van Aert – and the Chrono des Nations, a title he had won at junior level just the previous year.

In an Olympic year, Tarling began his preparations in Australia in January, where he rode the Tour Down Under on the road before switching back to the track for a brief cameo as part of the gold-medal winning men’s team pursuit squad at the Adelaide Track Nations Cup. He won on European soil on his first race day on the continent in 2024, taking the victory at the opening time trial at the O Gran Camiño stage race in Spain, before riding a short classics block which saw him finish 6th in Dwars Door Vlaanderen. He was selected for the Critérium du Dauphiné and came 2nd in the time-trial, there, before heading back to the UK to successfully defend his British National Championship title in the individual time trial.

This summer in Paris, Tarling will aim for glory in the time-trial, before going on to ride in support of his Great Britain teammates in the road race. The young Welshman will be targeting success on his Olympic debut, and based on his current form, he is well on his way to achieving great things in a career that is only just beginning.

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