On Saturday, British cyclist Joshua Tarling pulled off a surprise win in the second stage of the Giro d’Italia. He beat the pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic by the slimmest of margins — just a second. And yes, you read that right: a single second. It wasn’t exactly a nail-biter; it was more like a nail-bender. Tarling completed the 14-kilometer (8.5-mile) time trial through Tirana, Albania, in 16 minutes, 7 seconds.
The man had to wait, hold his breath, and hope that no one in the next 58 riders would blast past him and snatch the win. Roglic came agonizingly close, but he finished just a second behind, leaving Tarling grinning like he just won a race against his cat.
“Please Don’t Make Me Do That Again!”
After his intense, edge-of-the-seat wait, Joshua Tarling couldn’t hide his relief, and frankly, we wouldn’t blame him. “It’s not nice, I don’t want to do it again,” he admitted with a laugh. “It was a long day for 13 kilometers… Primoz really scared me so, yeah, it was stressful there.”
Well, Joshua, no one said winning a time trial was supposed to be relaxing. At least he can say he’s the youngest Giro d’Italia time trial winner at 21. That’s a title no one can take away from him—except, maybe, Roglic next year.
A First Grand Tour Win for Joshua Tarling
In case you didn’t know, this was Joshua Tarling’s first Grand Tour stage win. Yeah, he probably had to check his watch to believe it himself. “I can’t believe it, to be honest. I’ve been trying, and I’m so happy,” he said. And honestly, who can blame him? Winning on the big stage for the first time is probably like getting a gold star for adulthood.
Meanwhile, Jay Vine secured third place, finishing just three seconds behind Tarling. Oh, the drama of it all!
Roglic Holds On, But Just Barely
Although Primoz Roglic didn’t win, he did manage to keep hold of the pink jersey, but by the tiniest of margins. The man moved into the lead overall, with just a second separating him from Mads Pedersen, the winner of the opening stage. Roglic probably needs a stiff drink after that. “It’s like a beautiful surprise,” Roglic said, probably still trying to recover from the shock. “One second off, so really, really happy about it.”
The Giro: Still a Long Way to Go
So, what’s next? Well, the Giro d’Italia keeps rolling, and Roglic’s lead is thin enough to make anyone nervous. We still have several stages to go, including a hilly one on Sunday. And while Roglic may have the pink jersey for now, he’s well aware that Pedersen will be eyeing it like a hawk during the next stage. As Roglic said, “For tomorrow, it’s a good stage again for him. So we will see what happens. Probably they will take it back.”
Stay tuned, because in the world of cycling, things can change faster than you can say “bicycle seat.”
Giro d’Italia 2023: What’s Next?
The race moves on, and the next stage (a 160-kilometer hilly ride) is set to take place in the coastal city of Vlore, Albania. The riders will then cross back into Italy, heading toward Rome for the grand finale on June 1. So yeah, we’re just getting started. The battle for the pink jersey is still on, and who knows—maybe Joshua Tarling will win another stage and give Roglic another scare.
Joshua Tarling proved he’s one to watch. If you didn’t know his name before, well, you definitely do now.
