The prodigy Joshua Tarling, at just 19 years old, is one of the favorites for the Time Trial at the Paris Olympic Games but is also competing for a spot on the British track team. Ben Greenwood, British track coach, revealed in a conversation with Cycling Weekly.
Tarling, who could compete in the team pursuit in Paris, is already training on the track and also participated in the Four Days of Geneva. In preparation for the Games, he will likely also travel to some important track competitions with the British team.
The main focus for Josh remains road cycling and the Time Trial. But Dario (Dario Cioni, coach of INEOS Grenadiers) felt that this was a good opportunity to let him ride on the track, race, and train there.
Joshua is the current European Time Trial Champion
In 2023, Tarling finished third in the Time Trial World Championship and first in the European Time Trial Championship. He has also had success on the track in the past. However, a spot on the British team for the Games is not a certainty. According to Greenwood, about ten cyclists still have a chance to participate.
“It will be interesting to see what is possible for him,” said Greenwood about Tarling. “The challenge of the Olympic Games is that the number of cyclists competing for a spot is very large. It’s not like a World Cup where you choose who you want. You have four cyclists for the track endurance events. You can add a fifth from another discipline. Realistically, it will be someone from the road team.”