In 2022 Aberaeron was able to boast its very own World Champion after 18-year old Joshua Tarling won gold in the Junior Time Trial at the World Championships in Wollongong, Australia. Josh, a resident of Ffosyffin, has been turning heads for a number of years in the cycling world and has enjoyed success on the road and track.
Josh started his cycling career at the local cycling club in Aberaeron, the West Wales Cycle Racing Team, attending training sessions at Llwyncelyn Go-Kart track and in the grounds of the secondary school. As he developed and the club grew, he made the most of the local hills getting stronger and moved up through the cycling ranks racing all over Europe. The year 2022, Josh's last as a junior rider, was standout. He started his season at the British National Senior Track Championships where he managed to win two gold medals despite being a junior. This performance put him in contention for Commonwealth Games selection despite his young age. It is on the road that Josh really mimpresses though, and he managed to be selected to ride for GB in a number of big international races across Europe. He managed to win a stage and the overall at the prestigious Tour de Gironde and stages at the Trophee Centre Morbihan, both in France, and the Trofeo Saarland in Germany. At all three he wore the leader's yellow jersey, as well as winning King of the Mountains and Points classifications. Mixing time on the road and the velodrome, he went on to win gold in two further events at the National Junior Track Championships and the National Time Trial Championships.
However, it was the summer period that was one to remember. After strong rides all year, Josh was selected to represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games and competed in the velodrome in the Team Pursuit, Points and Individual Pursuit. This was a huge learning curve for a rider so young, but Josh threw himself into it taking a very respectable fourth in the Team Pursuit in a Welsh record time, just missing out on a bronze medal to the flying Australians. The big target of the season loomed into view - the World Championships in Australia. Selected to ride for GB, Josh was targeting the Time Trial event having been unbeaten all year. The race was held on a tough course in Wollongong and it brought together the world's best riders. Starting last, he blitzed the course to lead at every time check and won the race from Australian Hamish McKenzie and German Emil Herzog. A world champion!
As a result of his strong performances, Josh has signed for the famous lneos Grenadiers professional team and is now taking on the World Tour with Welsh team mates Luke Rowe and Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas. A regular on the hilly roads of Ceredigion, a large part of his success is down to the quiet, challenging roads that have allowed him to train year-round. Not to be outdone, younger brother Finlay is hot on Josh's heels having broken Josh's national ten-mile Time Trial record, setting a new best time of 18:15. Riding for a strong Dutch team in 2022, Finlay has his eyes on the same world championship medal!
[Editors' Notes: British actor and comedian Michael Palin once said, "One of the most important days of my life was when I learned to ride a bicycle", and never a truer word could be said of Josh and Finlay Tarling, and we are extremely proud of their connection with Aberaeron and West Wales Cycle Racing Team. We wish Josh all the success in the world as represents lneos Grenadiers and flies the flag for Wales and Great Britain in without doubt one of the world's most gruelling endurance sports.}