Josh Tarling has suffered a major blow to his hopes of making his Tour de France debut next month, with a broken collarbone confirmed following his exit from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on Friday.
The Netcompany-Ineos time trial specialist had made the big breakaway on the opening mountain stage but crashed with just under 100km to go and immediately had to abandon.
Tarling could be seen clutching his left arm in a classic sign of a broken collarbone – the most common injury among pro cyclists – and sure enough, that diagnosis was confirmed by scans at the hospital.
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"I think there was a bit of a flick in the line, he touched a wheel, came down, landed awkwardly, and yeah, broke his collarbone," said Netcompany-Ineos' Director of Racing Geraint Thomas on Saturday morning.
"He has surgery today, straight away, and so yeah, he'll be looking to get back as quickly as possible. But it's unfortunate."
A race against time
Despite the rapid surgery, it's difficult to picture Tarling up for the Tour de France in Barcelona on July 4.
It usually takes pro riders six to twelve weeks to come back from a broken collarbone. Tarling has exactly three.
There is some cause for optimism, given last year, when Jonas Abrahamsen started the Tour just two and a half weeks after breaking his collarbone, but that recovery was described as "against all odds" by medical staff.
"We'll see how Josh goes with his surgery, and what the doctors are saying after that," said Thomas.
Thomas did not rule out the Tour for Tarling as he issued a joint update alongside GC leader Oscar Onley, who crashed on the same stage and has also left the race.
"We're staying positive, and hopefully they'll be good for the Tour."
A blow for rider and team
If Tarling is unable to start it represents a major blow to Netcompany-Ineos' plans for the Tour. That first stage on July 4 is the one where Tarling was most important, with the race opening with a team time trial in Barcelona.
Tarling was part of the team time trial winning squad at Paris-Nice, would have surely been part of another at Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes had Oscar Onley not suffered a mechanical.
He was set to be the leading powerhouse as the team targeted the yellow jersey and GC gains on the opening day of the Tour, as well as providing flatland domestique support thereafter.
For Tarling personally, this represents another setback in what has been a frustrating season, having described his Classics campaign as "a bit shit for me".
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