Josh Tarling third on Vuelta opening stage eight days after brother's death
Josh Tarling finished third in the opening stage of the Vuelta a Espana in the principality of Monaco, competing just eight days after his brother Finlay lost his life in a crash. The 22-year-old Netcompany Ineos rider chose to take part in the three-week Grand Tour and produced a strong performance on a tight, technical course.
Fin, 19, died in a high-speed collision with a van which had strayed on to the road during the eighth stage of the Volta a Portugal last Friday, and the family also lost their grandfather this week. The opening stage began at the Casino Monte Carlo and included a twisty route through a circus and around the F1 circuit's famous swimming pool section, with the mood among riders described as respectful and calls for improved safety in races noted in coverage; Oliveira dedicates Portugal stage win to Tarling family.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Tadej Pogacar won the stage by just nine hundredths of a second from Briton Ethan Hayter of Soudal-Quick Step, with Tarling finishing four seconds behind the five-time Tour de France winner. Pogacar embraced the Welshman before the podium presentation.
Tarling, who has won a stage of the Giro d'Italia and the European time trial title, was rewarded for deciding to race despite recent events by producing one of his better performances on the technical Monaco course. The result came after he had not been riding normally for a period, according to team comments, but he still delivered a strong time-trialling display.
Fellow Welshman and Netcompany Ineos' racing director Geraint Thomas said afterwards: "It's been great to have him here - he was really keen to ride and wanted to get back to the day job and find comfort in the process and be around the team to be a normal as possible. "It's great to have him here, it's been unimaginable what he's gone through this last week or so. "To put in a performance like that at the end of the week or so is just fantastic and shows the class of him as person and an athlete, so couldn't be prouder. "I think the course suited him technically - he's one of the best and yesterday was probably the first time he's ridden a bike properly in a while, so to still put that in is insane, really. "We'll just continue to be normal around him now and support as best we can."
Netcompany Ineos will leave the decision to Tarling on whether to continue and see out three gruelling weeks of sprints and mountainous climbs around southern Spain. Another time trial on stage 18 could present a further chance for Tarling, while Pogacar, 27, remains the hot favourite and will be aiming for the red jersey overall — and with it the accolade of winning all three Grand Tours in the sport, along with most of the sport's biggest one-day races.
Tarling now wears the white fastest young rider's jersey for stage two, a 214.3km hilly race to Manosque in Provence.