Tarling wins time trial to take UAE Tour lead

Josh Tarling, a Welsh rider, won stage two of the UAE Tour to take the overall lead in the week-long competition.

Three days after his 21st birthday, the Ineos Grenadiers rider won a 12km test against the clock ahead of Switzerland’s Stefan Bissegger and three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar.

Victory in Tuesday’s time trial marks a second win for Tarling on the World Tour since turning professional, having previously won at the 2023 Renewi Tour.

“From the end of last year, I had a bit of bad luck, and I kept coming second in the TTs]time trials] with Remco]Evenepoel]. I needed this. I’m super happy”, said Tarling.

The British time trial champion averaged 56.670km/h for a comfortable winning margin of 13 seconds over runner-up Bissegger (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale). Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished a further five seconds down.

“It was really windy”, added Tarling.

A summit finish to the 19 km-long Jebel Jais mountain ascent will give Tarling a 13-second lead in the general classification heading into Wednesday’s stage three, his first major climbing challenge.

“I think tomorrow’s going to be a big day”, said Tarling.

“I’m hoping I can regain some confidence now. I’m excited for the rest of the season”.

Tarling’s victory is a further boost for Ineos Grenadiers, a day after Michal Kwiatkowski won at the Clasica Jaen in Spain.

The Polish rider’s success ended a long winless streak for the British team, stretching back to last June’s Criterium Dauphine.

Egan Bernal, an Ineos rider, also suffered a broken collarbone in a crash in the closing stages of the Spanish one-day race.